NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

"A lot of improvement?" Stevens asked curiously. "They had this level of defense when they won the championship two years ago! Although Howard wasn't this good back then, Duncan and Artest were at their peak!"

"I know, I've beaten them before, I know how good that group of players was," Lin Tian said. "Although their defense was okay, it was nothing special."

"They can't stop me, and they can't stop Amare and Melo intermittently. They were completely outmatched by us. I personally think they're not even as good as the Pistons back in the day!"

"Could it be that that bald guy has improved? He's only been around for a few years, how could he have improved so much?"

“It’s very impolite to call someone with thinning hair ‘bald’!” Van Gundy turned his head and said unhappily, “In a sense, we are just like the disabled; we all have physical defects and need care! Would you call a poor person with only one leg a cripple?”

"Yes." Lin Tian nodded without hesitation. "Of course, I don't treat everyone this way. I only treat my friends this way! Aren't you disabled people most afraid of being treated differently?"

"Don't you all want your friends to treat you like ordinary people? That's exactly what I do! I never treat anyone as disabled; I treat everyone equally!"

“You probably don’t even consider them human!” Van Gundy snorted. “I remember when you went to the welfare home for the disabled, you played football with a bunch of cripples?”

"Otherwise, why would we play basketball with them?" Lin Tian looked at Van Gundy as if it were a matter of course, as if he were looking at an idiot.

"Fine, I don't want to hear anyone say 'bald guy' in my ear anymore!" Van Gundy snorted, stood up and switched places with Shannon Brown, sitting down at the very edge of the bench.

Out of sight is pure.

"I didn't expect that fatso to have improved so much!" Lin Tian said with a sigh as he watched Van Gundy leave.

"Which bald...fat guy?" Stevens looked at the person opposite him curiously. Rivers wasn't bald or fat!

“Defense assistant coach Thibodeau.” Lin Tian looked at the chubby guy who would one day bring plantation basketball to the league and said, “Otherwise, how do you think Rivers, with his physique, could build such a perfect defensive system?”

"So how did you break through the Celtics' defensive wall back then?" Stevens didn't ask Thibodeau why he wasn't a head coach when he was so good, but instead asked another question, which was also the key one.

Since the two systems are consistent, if Lin Tian just shares his experience of defeating the Celtics back then, wouldn't it be a natural outcome for the team to defeat this Celtics team?

This idea makes perfect sense!
"It's very simple. I just held the ball at the top of the arc, made everyone spread out, and then accelerated and went in."

"If they have help defense, I pass the ball; if they don't, I drive hard to the basket. Duncan and Howard can't stop me."

"Of course, the timing of the pass is also important. You must pass the ball when the double team is fully formed and the opponent is already sticking to you. At that time, even if he grows wings, he won't be able to get back to his position."

"Oh, and also, we can't pass to the guy who's open from the start. If we pass to him, the opponent's rotation system can definitely get into position instantly, and the open space will disappear. The key is to pass the ball to the guy who's about to leave the field!"

"In other words, once you identify who is going to help defend, you can pass the ball while they are moving, and easily break down the opponent's rotation system!"

"That's it! It's a passing problem! If we adjust the timing of the pass, open spaces will appear!"

Lin Tian clapped his hands, feeling that he had it all figured out.

But Stevens had a hunch.

Which pass should be made to someone who is about to open up, and which pass should be made after the opponent has already formed a double team.

Is this even something a human would say?

How many people in this league can do that?
Anyway, Rose and Lin are both a bit rough around the edges, so they can't come here.

James won't work either. This guy has a high center of gravity when dribbling, so he'll have some trouble passing the ball when he's completely double-teamed.

When Kobe was young, he had a knack for jumping and finding people to pass to, and he could do that. But now that he's older and his physical abilities have declined, what used to be a brilliant pass when he jumped is now a turnover.

Wade and Paul are too short, and Deron Williams is a bit too ball-hogging...

Who the hell can do this?
Stevens glanced at Lin Tian again and understood completely.

This guy's showing off!
Does he not know that what he just said was all nonsense, and that no one else could do it but him?

Does he not know that it's not that the Celtics' defense has improved, but that the entire league's offensive level has declined since he left?
If you replaced Rose or Jeremy Lin with peak Lin Tian right now, then Thibodeau's perfect defense and top-class defensive anchor Tony Allen would all be nothing more than background noise.

Lin Tian turned around, glanced at Stevens, and nodded in satisfaction.

He could tell from Stevens' expression that the guy understood!

If you understand that you want to show off, then that's enough!
Subtle, understated showing off can be just as fun!
Lin Tian was teasing Stevens and enjoying the thrill of showing off when, finally, both sides started scoring on the court.

Of course, the scoring efficiency and the pace of the game are still very low, and both sides can only score points piecemeal.

Eight minutes into the first quarter, Lin Tian made the first adjustment, replacing Rose and Yao with Odom and DeRozan.

After dominating the paint for most of the quarter, it's time to change things up and switch to face-up offense!
13: 14!

The Bobcats are currently down by one point, and the two teams are basically trading baskets.

DeRozan and Odom, who had just entered the game, immediately executed a two-man play. Odom had the ball, and DeRozan set a screen for him. After a crossover, Odom stepped back to the three-point line and then suddenly accelerated to attack the basket.

This step-back and drive left the aging Duncan far behind, and in the blink of an eye, he was inside the three-point line.

But then the Celtics' defense suddenly tightened, and Odom was instantly surrounded by two players.

Although he reacted incredibly quickly and immediately found DeRozan to receive the ball, DeRozan was not in an open position. After receiving the ball, he was tightly guarded. After dribbling for a while, DeRozan suddenly stepped back and tried to shoot directly.

But the person guarding him right now is Allen!

This guy seized the opportunity and snatched the basketball from DeRozan's hands.

Celtics fast break!

Parker took the lead and charged ahead. After Allen quickly passed the ball, Parker's momentum continued. In the blink of an eye, he drove into the basket and pulled up for a floater, scoring another 2 points for the team.

The Celtics are now leading by 3 points.

In the next possession, Jeremy Lin drove to the basket. He was somewhat more relaxed against Parker, but after driving all the way to the basket, he was blocked by Howard and had no chance to shoot. He immediately gathered the ball, turned around, and passed it out again.

Although he didn't make any mistakes, the time he had the ball was completely wasted, and the Bobcats had to reorganize.

Fortunately, Odom quickly realized that he had a clear advantage when facing Duncan in the high post.

So he immediately accelerated to break through, shook off Duncan, and then suddenly stopped and made a jump shot.

His completely perimeter-oriented playing style, combined with his 208cm height, makes him incredibly difficult to defend; it all comes down to whether he can score or not.

"Shh!"

Then came a crisp sound as Odom's jump shot swished through the net!

In the next possession, the Celtics passed the ball to Jackson, who dribbled and faked several shots before attempting a mid-range jump shot, but unfortunately, he missed.

After grabbing the rebound, Odom didn't slow down the pace. Instead, he immediately accelerated and charged towards the frontcourt! In terms of speed, he's definitely not as fast as Rose or Lin, but after playing at a slow pace for most of the quarter without any fast breaks, the Celtics easily developed a sense of inertia. They assumed Odom wouldn't push the pace fast!

The lapse in defense immediately gave Odom an opportunity. In the blink of an eye, he rushed to the frontcourt and completed a dunk. After coming on, he scored 4 points in a row, turning the tide for the team!
The Bobcats have taken the lead!

At this point, the Celtics made timely adjustments!

Substitutions are made every nine minutes, which is the most common substitution time for them. Rivers always makes substitutions on time, and his team's rotations are quite punctual.

Duncan and Parker left the game, and Ginobili and the team's backup center Perkins came on together.

"What an idiot." Lin Tian couldn't help but complain when he saw the substitution. "I've figured it out. The reason why Firth has been the head coach here for so many years is all thanks to three things."

"Luck, luck, it's all my grandma's luck!"

"Even in this situation, he can still make substitutions without any change. He doesn't exploit our obvious weaknesses in the paint. Instead, he lets his perimeter players shoot mid-range shots and even takes Duncan out to actively weaken his own inside advantage."

"Sick in the brain!"

"You don't want him to be sick?" Stevens couldn't help but ask curiously.

"No, I knew he was sick a long time ago. Otherwise, I would have gone crazy to take Yao Ming off the field to rest first. I guessed that he would definitely make a substitution at this time, so I let Yao Ming rest in advance. Even if it's just two more rounds of rest, we can still have the advantage in terms of physical strength!"

"That's it for tonight's match. We have to work on the details round by round!"

"If we really want to get down to the details, shouldn't we take Lamar off the court first?" Stevens pointed to the court, where Odom, who had just scored 4 points in a row and dominated the game, made another basic mistake.

When this guy took the ball from the baseline, he was only looking to get the ball up quickly. He passed the ball to the midfield and wanted DeRozan to launch a counterattack. However, DeRozan failed to mark Allen's position and Allen made a quick run around him and made a steal!
"My head hurts." Lin Tian scratched his head vigorously, then turned around and saw Stephenson looking at him eagerly, which made his head hurt even more.

With LeBron James being touted as the NBA's number one player, won't he just play recklessly and drag the team down?

But considering that he had promised him to play and had even given him some tactics, Lin Tian decided that he still had to let him go up and try!
One of the reasons why neither side can break through at this moment is that they are very familiar with each other's rotation system and key players. If a surprise player suddenly appears at this time, it may be very useful!
This is also why Lin Tian agreed to let Stephenson play. Lin Tian is not some idiot who would just change players on a whim.

In the remainder of the first quarter, neither side improved their scoring efficiency much, with neither scoring 20 points. Both teams focused on attacking the paint and intentionally slowed down the pace, making the first quarter a slow and heavy battle of missed shots!

18: 19!

At the end of the first quarter, the score difference between the two teams was still 1 point!
"In the second quarter, let's continue at our current pace! Jeremy, you and Derek should rest for a bit and focus on conserving your energy; you could be back on the court at any time!"

"Lamar, Itang, Demar, Matt, and Lance! The five of you, go!"

Lin Tian called out five names in a row. The other four were normal, allowing the team's starting players to rest. But when the last name was called out, a black-clad Li Kui immediately jumped up and let out a strange howl.

"I won't let you down, coach! I've been preparing for this day for 20 years! I won't let you down, I'll crush everyone who faces me, I'll do my best! I'll live up to your training and trust, I will..."

"Alright, alright, I believe you." Lin Tian had never met someone even crazier than himself before, so he quickly waved his hand to indicate that his buddy needed to calm down before going on the court to play.

"Lance, play point guard. Lamar, you stay on the flank and provide support. Let's continue with the strategy from the first quarter, slow down the pace, don't rush, stay calm! Remember, stay calm!"

Lin Tian looked at Stephenson; his only worry was this guy.

He was genuinely afraid that the kid would waste his extra energy on things he shouldn't.

Lin Tian is a coach who likes to use surprise players. His previous coaches were also coaches who liked to use surprise players. They could often pull out someone from the bench that no one expected and then have them perform well.

Lin Tian once pulled Jeremy Lin out from the bench.

But now Lin Tian is also a little unsure.

Is this guy even capable of doing it tonight?
Although he was a little nervous, Lin Tian appeared to be absolutely convinced. He patted Stephenson on the shoulder and said, "I believe in you! You have talent and ability. You've just been missing an opportunity."

"Hold on tight! Okay?"

"Do not worry!"

Stephenson patted Lin Tian on the shoulder, then decisively turned around. Judging from his appearance, he seemed to be going off as a hero who would never return!
The break is over, the game continues!
"Is he really capable?" Stevens asked, unsure of himself.

"Trust is the foundation of everything! I let him take the lead, which means I trust him and believe he won't let me down!"

"But... FUXX! What is he doing?!"

Stevens was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly widened his eyes in disbelief.

After receiving the ball, Stephenson didn't make any unnecessary moves. He accelerated and drove straight past Ginobili, then ignored the seven-foot-tall Perkins standing under the basket and charged at him.

If it's just a layup, that's fine. He's a guard, what's wrong with driving to the basket?
To Stevens' surprise, Stephenson wasn't that fast, and he couldn't finish the attack before everyone else could help defend him after he drove into the paint.

So when he drove into the paint, the Celtics had already collapsed, and waiting for him under the basket was not only Perkins, but also Glen Davis who came to help defend and Ginobili chasing from behind!

After Stephenson jumped up, he felt that everything around him was completely dark, and three people—a tall, fat man, a fat man, and a sinister-looking man—surrounded him.

At this point, it was impossible for Stephenson to pass the ball. All his space was blocked. In fact, if he hadn't held the ball so tightly, almost completely against his body, Ginobili would probably have intercepted it by now.

Desperate situation!

"Lin's substitution doesn't seem to have been very successful! Stephenson's first attack was on the verge of failure, and he was completely surrounded by three players, making it impossible for him to pass the ball out." Miller also frowned, clearly feeling that Lin Tian's substitution was too risky.

"Stephenson may have ruined his only chance in this series!" Jackson quickly concluded.

But Stephenson, who was in the center of attention, remained calm. He couldn't see the basket or his teammates at all. Suddenly, he stretched out his left hand and used his left hand, which he was not good at, to extend the basketball. That direction was also the only area with a tiny gap that allowed him to extend the ball.

Then Stephenson flicked his wrist, and the basketball drew an incredible arc. It hit the backboard, then the rim, bounced a few times, and finally reluctantly fell into the basket.

"Stephenson was simply blessed by the basketball god for that shot!" Miller, who had just been incredibly pessimistic, couldn't help but shout, "Only when blessed by the basketball god could a shot like that go in!"

"Three players double-teamed him, three players! Two of them are definitely inside players, but Stephenson just incredibly found the angle and put the ball in."

"How did he do that?" Stevens stared wide-eyed, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Don't worry about how he did it, just know that he did it!"

Lin Tian still looked incredibly confident, leaning back comfortably on the bench as if everything was under his control.

But only he knew that just before the goal, he had already made a decision: to substitute Stephenson immediately.

One mis-attack in one round is fine, but if he continues to make mistakes and waste shots on the court, then Lin Tian's reaction is too slow and he is too indulgent.

Lin Tian only agreed to let Stephenson play tonight, but he didn't say how long he would play.

But now.

Well done, young man! Keep it up! (End of Chapter)