NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

Back on the court, Rose continued to dribble at the top of the arc. This time, instead of forcing a one-on-one situation, he called Odom to set a screen for him. After the two screened each other, Odom quickly moved towards the three-point line.

His shooting range is an advantage; he can create a lot of space after a pick-and-roll.

In addition, Yao Ming had retreated to the three-point line to draw the defense, leaving the Celtics' interior defense completely open!
Rose instantly accelerated to the limit, rushing to the basket. But just as he was about to dunk, a hand suddenly reached out from his side and pressed down on the basketball he was about to release.

Howard!
This guy somehow let Yao Ming go, and relying on his height, wingspan, and mobility, he actually arrived at the basket in time and blocked Rose's dunk!

"Boom!"

However, Rose was fast enough and charged hard enough that Howard didn't swat the ball away directly. Instead, Rose slammed the ball against the rim with the momentum of the shot.

Then the basketball bounced high and flew towards the free throw line area.

Several players immediately huddled together, crowding around each other, trying to grab the rebound that could potentially decide the course of the game.

"Snapped!"

Odom, Duncan, Jackson, and DeRozan jumped up almost simultaneously, but none of them could control the rebound; they could only desperately bounce the ball up into the air once more.

Then, just as the four people landed and were not yet ready to jump again, a figure suddenly leaped up.

Fields!
This guy was quite clever. He knew that with his height and jumping ability, he couldn't gain any advantage in the first wave of the scramble, so he jumped a little later.

That one move allowed him to capitalize on the fleeting opportunity. Fields grabbed the basketball and swiftly threw it towards the basket.

At that moment, Howard turned and rushed out from under the basket to grab the rebound, completely missing Rose!
That's too late!

This time, even if it were an ancient monster, let alone Howard, it probably wouldn't have time to snatch this ball.

Rose caught the basketball in mid-air, then exerted force again, slamming the ball into the basket!

"boom!"

"Ho ho ho ho ho!"

After scoring, Rose adopted the exact same posture as Howard had just done, clenching his fists and letting out a series of uninterrupted roars.

provocative!

Howard was clearly very unhappy after being provoked by Rose, but he did not retaliate against Rose.

"I made the 2+1, I blocked the shot, and you bunch of bastards can't even grab a damn rebound! Protect the rebounds! I can't do everything!" Howard angrily spread his hands and complained to his teammates.

This time, his complaints clearly included Duncan as well.

"Mine!" Duncan looked at Howard and said calmly, "I didn't grab the rebound."

“But Dwight, stop complaining! We’re still ahead, we have a 3-1 lead, stop complaining! You’re not helping the game at all.”

"Tim, I respect you, but I really hope you can protect the rebounds! I've already given my all to fill the gaps in the team's defense!" Howard said, glancing at Parker discreetly.

Clearly, Parker is the 'loophole' he was referring to.

Seeing Howard's expression, Lin Tian's tense expression instantly relaxed, and he even revealed a smile.

To drive someone crazy, first make them arrogant!

The 2+1 play and Rose's block were certainly not planned, but in the end, Howard's continued contributions may not be a bad thing for the Bobcats.

This guy got cocky, and once he got cocky, he went crazy.

Although Howard, feeling inflated with pride, had started making veiled insults at Duncan, he didn't dare to actually be arrogant towards Duncan on the court. After making a few sarcastic remarks, he quickly started running to participate in the next offensive play.

My buddy hasn't completely gone mad yet; he still knows what's going on.

He knows very clearly what he can and can't do.

Well, I'm not entirely sure.

After arriving at the frontcourt, he finally couldn't resist testing his one-on-one skills once again.

This guy came down to the low post again and reached out for the ball.

"Idiot." Lin Tian couldn't stop smiling.

If you had to pick one of the Celtics' offensive methods that he's most comfortable with and least afraid of...

That was definitely Howard's low-post isolation play.

Honestly, if this guy were to simply be a finisher, setting screens, cutting to the basket for easy baskets, and waiting for offensive rebounds to dunk, he would be incredibly difficult to defend and deal with. It would be perfectly normal for him to put up a double-double with 20 points, 20 rebounds, 65% shooting percentage, and 3-5 blocks a day.

Their physical fitness is terrifying.

Unfortunately, he was unwilling to accept this! He simply refused to be a mere finisher; he wanted to showcase something he didn't have and challenge his weaknesses.

If a weakness could be so easily overcome, then it wouldn't be a weakness.

Howard reached for the ball in the low post, and Allen, who was standing next to him, passed the ball to Howard without hesitation.

The problem is that Allen's offensive ability is definitely among the worst in the league. Apart from using his physical attributes to cut to the basket, he is not good at any other way of scoring.

Unfortunately, the person standing next to him at this moment is Howard, who can't pass the ball, and he can't even receive the ball when cutting to the basket.

Generally speaking, the player who passes the ball to Howard and stands on his side to isolate and attack is either Parker or Ginobili, or at the very least, Jackson.

These three players can shoot, cut to the basket, and call for the ball. With them on one side, the opponent's double-teaming won't be so intense.

But now that Allen and Howard are on one side, it means that all the defensive attention on that side will be focused on Howard!

No one will care about Allen at all.

So when Howard got the ball, DeRozan didn't hesitate at all and practically sprinted to Howard's side to disrupt his one-on-one play.

With Yao Ming's fierce and tough defense behind him, Howard couldn't even start a back-to-the-basket move with his hands raised high.

Being sandwiched between two opponents, the fact that he can still keep the ball and not make a mistake is already a testament to his superhuman strength.

"Dwight!"

Just when Howard was almost cornered by two players and about to make a mistake, a very friendly voice reached his ears. Howard felt like he had been granted a pardon and, without thinking, threw the ball towards the direction of the voice.

However, after Howard passed the ball and released the shot, he saw it clearly.

That guy was wearing the Bobcats' orange away jersey!

Landry Fields!

This bright, Ivy League graduate offered Howard the most selfless help when he was at his most helpless.

After receiving the ball, Fields did not try to hold onto it for too long; instead, he immediately found Rose and passed the ball to him.

Rose would never let go of such an opportunity for a transition between offense and defense. He threw the basketball forward and charged towards the frontcourt like a wild horse.

In this situation, with such a sudden steal, the Celtics players naturally had no chance of catching up. They could only watch as Rose drove to the basket and completed a powerful dunk!
They've overtaken them!
The Bobcats, who had been dominated for almost the entire game, finally took the lead with 1 minute and 13 seconds left!
It was Rose again! He scored his 12th point in the fourth quarter tonight!
The Summer City Roses truly blossomed in the final half of tonight's game!
"pause!"

87: 86!

After being overtaken by the visiting Bobcats, Rivers finally stood up and called a timeout.

If we don't pause now, the game might never be able to resume.

He has to disrupt the Bobcats' rhythm.

"It's okay, Dwight! Don't be discouraged! If you have the chance, keep playing one-on-one! Don't be frustrated, always remember, you are the best center in this league! I even think you are the best player in this league!"

Rivers' first words during the timeout were enough to make Lin Tian immediately pop open a champagne to celebrate.

What a wonderful bowl of chicken soup!
Unfortunately, Lin Tian couldn't hear him, so he couldn't thank Rivers immediately.

But Rivers's words, and his indulgence of Howard, have essentially sealed the Celtics' fate for tonight's game!

"If they dare to let Howard go one-on-one again, Yao, send him to the free-throw line. You only have 3 fouls, no problem, that bastard won't make the free throws! I trust him 100%!" On the Bobcats' side, Lin Tian also gave the team a decisive instruction for the last minute of the game.

"Derrick, you're bursting with energy tonight, and your touch is off, so I want you to play a little more selfishly and aggressively! Charge forward and completely dismantle the Celtics' defense! Tonight, you are our hero!"

"Of course, everyone is our hero. Landry, that shout you just made and that offensive rebound were some of the smartest moments I've ever seen on the court! You'll be a great player. Keep it up in the last minute!"

"Listen, there's definitely a problem within the Celtics, and it's a big one! The clash between their old and new forces will affect the final minute of their game and the details of the match."

"What we need to do is focus on our own game, and I believe that these green-haired idiots will lose the game on their own and hand the victory over to us!"

"Play good defense! Communicate more, listen to Derrick on offense, he will bring us victory! Finally, let's win this game, let's put the victory we've got into our bags and bring the game back to Charlotte!"

"I will always say the same thing: we are..."

"champion!"

After a roar, the Bobcats players returned to the court, preparing for the final 70 seconds of the game.

"You really have to admire him. As for Lin, I really don't know what to say." During the break before the match resumed, Miller said again, "How can he always be so accurate in finding the people who can help him win the match?"

"Rose's breakout performance is not surprising at all. If it weren't for his injury, he would definitely have had a chance to be the MVP this year. This is the kind of performance an MVP-caliber player should be making!"

"But Stephenson in the first half, and Fields in these two rounds, where the hell did Lin find these two guys? Why does he always make the right choices?"

"More importantly, the people he found didn't help the team in a very normal way!" Jackson continued, "They weren't sharpshooters who suddenly hit the nail on the head, nor were they tough guys who contributed stable defense."

"These two are both eccentric! How can I even describe them?"

"The combined IQ of these two might be 210, but Fields himself might only have 150. That's the impression Stephenson and Fields gave me."

"But what was the result? Stephenson, with his seemingly mindless reckless driving, scored continuously, completely dominating Tony Allen, one of the best defenders in the world today. Fields, with his intelligence, a rebound with a timing difference, and a basket fraud, directly helped the team reverse the score!"

"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if a sharpshooter came out and hit four three-pointers in a row or if a big guy I don't know grabbed 15 rebounds, but these two guys, the way these two guys helped the team, was completely unexpected."

"All I can say is that, among these two oddballs, perhaps only Lin in the entire league can use them, dare to use them, and use them well!"

Miller concluded, "He's a born coach! A top-tier coach! Now let's see if he can pull off a miraculous comeback, and let's see if the Bobcats can hold onto this hard-earned one-point lead."

With the timeout over, the Celtics made a substitution, replacing Allen, who is not good at offense, with Ginobili, who has fierce offensive firepower and can also organize the offense.

Clearly, now that they're behind, they need to score more than ever!
If the opportunity arises, Rivers will definitely bring Allen back in on defense.

After the inbound pass, Parker dribbled at the top of the key, directing his teammates' movements. Then he suddenly passed the ball to Ginobili, who was running out from the wing. As Ginobili received the ball, Duncan also came out from the inside to screen the defender for Ginobili, allowing him to drive directly!
Ginobili immediately accelerated with the ball and rushed towards the basket. Although his speed wasn't top-notch, his rhythm was still unpredictable, making it impossible to guess his direction.

So even with Odom's arms outstretched in defense, he still couldn't catch Ginobili's shadow at all. Ginobili faked out the space with a Euro step, and Yao Ming's help defense arrived just in time, blocking Ginobili's shooting space again.

But Ginobili didn't hesitate and made a low pass to Howard, who had been left out behind Yao Ming!
With Howard facing an open basket, Yao Ming didn't even have time to turn around and defend.

No one on the Bobcats had time to defend!
Just then, a crisp sound suddenly rang out.

"Snapped!"

After the crisp sound, Rose, who had turned around from the other side, didn't hesitate and slapped Howard's arm directly!

He put all his effort into that shot; Rose hadn't even thought he could steal it before he made the move.

His slap had only one purpose: to get the free throws!

If they're incredibly lucky and manage to steal the ball directly, then the Celtics are truly out of luck.

But clearly, Rose's slap barely touched the ball; it landed squarely on Howard's arm.

The referee immediately blew his whistle, sending Howard to the free-throw line.

"Pass it higher next time!" Howard, still quite annoyed after being sent to the free-throw line, complained to Ginobili, "Just pass it to me for an alley-oop, then no one can foul me, and I can score directly!"

"Take a deep breath, calm down, and make the free throw!" Ginobili was about to speak when Duncan's large hand pressed down on his head, then he said to Howard, "We need these two points."

Lin Tian found this scene quite amusing.

Rivers dotes on Howard and doesn't dare offend him in order to keep his job, because Howard is indeed the most important person on the team.

Duncan, although you can't return to your form from 10 years ago due to injuries to your knees, shoulders, and ankles, you're not so old that you have to rely on Howard to play.

You don't have to be someone's lackey to such a lowly degree!
Did Rivers have nude photos of Duncan, or evidence of tax evasion, arms trafficking, or human trafficking?

Otherwise, how could Duncan just stand by and watch Howard cause so much trouble on the court?
Lin Tian couldn't understand it. He couldn't understand how someone like Duncan, though taciturn, could be so easily manipulated, and certainly not the kind of guy who would completely ignore the team's situation and not participate in team building or chemistry.

Why?

"Boom!"

Just as Lin Tian was pondering why, Howard's first free throw, unsurprisingly, missed.

"Rebound! Rebound!" Lin Tian immediately forgot about what Duncan was trying to do; he had to win the game first. "He can't make the free throw! We have to grab the rebound! We absolutely have to grab it! If he makes it, I'll cut my head off and let him use it as a ball!"

"If you can't grab the rebound, I'll cut off all your heads and use them as balls!"

I don't know if it was because of Lin Tian's interference from outside the court, or whether Howard's free throws were equally bad regardless of whether there was interference or not.

In short, with a swift stroke of his knife, he obtained another piece of fine iron.

"Boom!"

Then Yao Ming desperately blocked Duncan, Fields locked up Jackson, and Odom calmly jumped up and grabbed the rebound.

"No rush! Last 55 seconds! Let's take it one step at a time!" Odom raised an arm, signaling everyone to slow down.

Just as Lin Tian expected, this guy started to accelerate!

They immediately pushed the speed to the maximum and in the blink of an eye, they were already in the Celtics' half of the court.

Then Odom encountered Jackson's defense, and he immediately changed direction, dribbling sideways with his right hand, and then dribbled all the way to the right at a 45-degree angle. (End of this chapter)