NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

But just when the Celtics players thought their offensive momentum was just beginning and they were about to explode and turn the tide, it was the Bobcats who exploded first.

They're not even top-tier players like Rose, Yao Ming, or Boozer, who are All-Star caliber.

The fourth quarter's counterattack was ignited by Odom.

This guy, who is usually a bit inconsistent and occasionally makes it onto Shaqtin' a Fool's Five, first drove to the basket, turned around, and then dunked over Howard, sending the entire Charlotte crazy. Then he suddenly unleashed a three-pointer from beyond the arc!
After scoring 5 consecutive points, Odom was ecstatic!
When he gets really into it, it means he's out of control, and even he himself can't predict what he'll do next.

He might put on a series of highlight-reel plays and save the team, or he might have a string of missed shots and completely become a mole.

Tonight, the Bobcats were lucky; Odom became God tonight.

After scoring 5 consecutive points, the guy attracted a lot of defensive attention from the Celtics, and then he started passing the ball.

After grabbing a rebound in the backcourt, a one-handed bounce sent the ball flying through the entire Celtics defense and over the center line, assisting DeRozan for a fast break dunk.

During a breakthrough, he suddenly turned around and, in some unknown manner, made a no-look pass to Jeremy Lin at the top of the arc, allowing him to score a three-pointer.

The most exciting moment came when, with four minutes left in the fourth quarter, Odom, dribbling at the top of the key, suddenly made a behind-the-back pass, sending the ball like a cannonball directly into the basket, assisting Yao Ming for a powerful dunk.

This pass was absolutely stunning, piercing through the entire Celtics defense. Not only were the Celtics' defenders completely caught off guard, but even Yao Ming was caught off guard by this sudden pass.

He simply grabbed the basketball on instinct, then jumped up and dunked without really thinking, scoring 2 points.

This goal definitely deserves a place in Odom's top ten career goals.

After that basket, the entire Celtics team seemed to have lost all their energy and spirit. Every gesture of theirs was full of helplessness. Rivers had no choice but to call a timeout to try and adjust the players' mentality.

Odom, on the other hand, was as excited as if he had just received a super long-term contract with an average annual salary of 2000 million, shouting and skipping all the way back to his own bench.

Thanks to his fourth-quarter onslaught, the Bobcats now have a 19-point lead!

"Am I awesome or not?" Back on the bench, Odom looked at Lin Tian with shining eyes, like a dog waiting for praise.

"That's awesome." Without thinking, Lin Tian slapped the guy on the forehead. He knew all too well how to deal with this type of player.

If you were to say to him at this moment that his pass was too risky and that he almost made a mistake on that last ball, he would absolutely not listen and would be quite unhappy.

No, Odom is the type of person who won't listen to you no matter when you talk to him about this.

So instead of wasting your time and making things difficult for yourself, it's better to praise him a bit, get him excited, and encourage him to keep playing.

What if I make a series of mistakes or misses due to excessive excitement?
We'll talk about it later.

We can't dampen his enthusiasm right now!
With Odom's explosive performance, the game quickly lost its suspense, and at the end of the game, the Bobcats defeated the Celtics by 23 points with a score of 118-95!
This is the first time they've achieved such a huge victory in this series.

That night, Yao Ming scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Boozer had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Odom added 24 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 assists. The three big men combined for 65 points and 35 rebounds, finally giving their inside combination the upper hand in the game!
In the previous few games, although Yao Ming was not afraid of Dwight Howard and was able to limit him very well, the Bobcats' interior defense was basically dominated by the Celtics.

But tonight, they finally turned the tables!
That night, Lin Tian's status as a tactical mastermind in the league was once again solidified. His perfect shift in tactical intent completely caught the Celtics off guard, and their various strategies against Rose, Lin, and others almost entirely failed.

By focusing his offense on his own interior players and launching a relentless barrage of attacks, Lin Tian not only caught Rivers completely off guard but also surprised the entire league.

That's incredibly bold! And the results are amazing!
He's a natural-born coach.

Lin Tian received a variety of praises after the match from fans and industry insiders.

He led the team to consecutive victories, successfully pulling them out of the abyss!
3: 3!

The two teams are now on equal footing once again!
If a week ago Lin Tian claimed that the series wasn't over yet, that they could reverse the game from a 1-3 deficit, that they weren't afraid of the Celtics, and that they could come back to win, then the general public thought he was just deceiving himself, being stubborn, and unwilling to admit defeat.

But today, when Lin Tian said he was already considering how to deal with the Cavaliers, no one dared to underestimate them anymore.

This guy can really turn things around, he really can do it!

To say something but not do it is just empty boasting and will be despised by others.

But to say something and do it is confidence plus strength, truly befitting my manly character.

在NBA的历史长河之中，能在7战4胜制的系列赛之中完成1：3惊天逆转的球队也就是不到10%。

In the decisive Game 7, the home team's winning percentage reached 78.9%, close to 80%.

These two sets of data are theoretically the most direct indicators of the current situation of these two teams.

Simply put, the Celtics should theoretically have it in the bag.

But that's not actually the case at all.

ESPN released a poll on their website, and the results were surprising: 64% of fans supported the Bobcats advancing, indicating that the Bobcats were clearly favored.

The same poll also appeared on the social media sites of TNT, CBS, NBC, and other media outlets.

It can only be said that although the results are not exactly the same, they are largely similar.

In the polls conducted on various websites, NBC had the fewest supporters for the Bobcats, with only 58%, while TNT had the highest support, reaching 68%.

A team that miraculously climbed back from a 1-3 deficit to play a decisive Game 7 away from home actually received higher support.

Of course, just looking at fan votes doesn't tell you much; at most, it just shows that the Celtics aren't popular and the Bobcats are.

For example, back in the day, the most hated Pistons Bad Boys and the Utah Jazz led by the Utah Jazz duo would have had many fans hoping they would lose if they played against teams like Cambodia or Nicaragua.

But if fan votes don't tell the whole story, then the results from the actuaries in Las Vegas can tell a lot.

These guys, who are the most calculating in the world, gave odds of 1.8 for the Bobcats and 2.2 for the Celtics before Game 7.

If you bet 100 yuan on the Bobcats to win, you'll get 180 yuan; if you bet on the Celtics, you'll get 220 yuan.

Even the most professional actuaries think the Bobcats have a high winning percentage, which really doesn't explain anything.

In conclusion, due to a combination of factors, the Celtics have most likely become the least favored top team in NBA history to play a Game 7 at home.

Even local Boston fans are starting to lose confidence because of the Celtics' crushing defeat in the last game.

After all, although it seemed that Odom's sudden outburst led the team to a high point and win the game in the last game, from another perspective: the Bobcats didn't even field their starters, and before he could exert his full strength, the Celtics were already defeated.

In the last match, the two teams seemed to be playing at completely different levels.

It was an absolutely crushing and brutal defeat!
Boston fans were truly stunned.

The lack of confidence among the fans resulted in a lack of excitement and wild cheers when the Celtics players entered the court. They simply clapped and shouted a few times as if it were a formality, and that was it.

Some fans even inexplicably shouted something like 'beat LA'.

You can't help but say Bostonians truly love Los Angelesers, right? The Lakers were eliminated in the last round, and now they're even trying to revive them.

What, is there a revival round?

Tonight, the problem in Boston wasn't just with the fans; even the Celtics players themselves seemed out of sorts. For example, the usually energetic and lively Dwight Howard looked completely listless, pouting and not interacting with the fans as enthusiastically as he usually does, nor did he try to attract attention on the court.

This guy was actually warming up in a very proper and conventional way.

This was quite unusual for him.

On the contrary, Parker was in good form at the moment, chatting and laughing with Ginobili, and even played a few one-on-one games.

Lin Tian, ​​on this side of the court, stared intently at the Celtics players, his eyes darting around as he pondered the reason for their unusual behavior.

Ten minutes before the start of the game, Lin Tiancai gathered the Lynx players around him again and had them form a circle.

"Tonight they're going to go back to their basketball system from two years ago, the same system that won them the championship."

"With DGP as the core, the main focus is on Duncan's low-post isolation and playmaking, Ginobili and Parker are responsible for perimeter offense and ball handling, and Howard is to do what he should do most: cuts, pick-and-rolls and dunks."

"I have to say, this Celtics team is very difficult to deal with. Their way of playing is the most reasonable and the most difficult to defend. But we don't need to worry. The momentum is on our side now, and we will continue with our previous strategy and style of play."

"If I find that things are not going well after the match starts and I need to make changes, I will make further adjustments as needed."

"As for you guys, relax, don't think about anything, just play your own game! The only thing that needs to be changed is that Yao Ming and Carlos switch defensive matchups. Yao Ming, you guard Duncan, and Dwight will be guarded by Carlos!"

"Do either of you have a problem?"

"No problem!" Yao Ming and Boozer nodded simultaneously, indicating their commitment to completing the mission.

"Gordon, DeMar, you two need to focus on collapsing and helping on defense. If Howard gets the ball and goes one-on-one against Carlos, be ready to help him out, and don't hesitate to foul if necessary!"

"No, you have to foul when necessary! I can accept Howard going to the free-throw line 30 times tonight, but I can't accept him making more than 3 field goals. Everyone, do you understand what I mean?"

"understand!"

"Carlos, unleash your trash talk! Provoke Howard, I want him to completely break down, I want him to become a mole tonight."

“No problem! I’m best at dealing with high school students who’ve never been to school!” Boozer’s villainous face broke into a smug smile, indicating that he had the upper hand.

Then, with another shout from the players, the countdown to the start of the game began. As the most anticipated Game 7 of the second round of the playoffs, basketball fans across the United States focused their attention on this game.

Will the Celtics turn the tide, defend their home court, and advance, or will the Bobcats continue their dark horse run and pull off a stunning comeback from a 1-3 deficit?

"Dudu!"

With the referee's whistle, the game officially begins!
The Celtics did not change their starting lineup, sticking with their usual five-man quartet. Howard once again outmaneuvered Yao Ming, earning the team their first offensive opportunity.

The Bobcats also pulled Jeremy Lin again, and started with their most traditional starting five.

To reiterate: Lin Tian won't overuse his tricks; he won't give someone like Rivers the opportunity to counter his tactics.

Who do you think you are to target me?
Parker dribbled quickly to the frontcourt, and this time, just as Lin Tian had guessed, Howard did not go to the low post to ask for the ball, but instead gave up his position to Duncan and stood on the weak side.

However, you could easily tell from his expression that he was not willing to do this.

Otherwise, given his style, wouldn't he have done a dance and dunked a few times before the game even started, and then laughed and joked while shooting 20 three-pointers at him?
They've finally fallen out!

Even though the infighting didn't come to light because of Duncan and Rivers' status and influence within the team, it was enough for the Bobcats.

"Do you still have a chance to play one-on-one tonight?" The seasoned Boozer guessed from Lin Tian's sudden change of opponent and his pre-game instructions that something must have gone wrong on the Celtics' side.

Without hesitation, he immediately started trash-talking Howard: "Let me tell you a secret: we internally believe that even Derrick can withstand your mediocre one-on-one! If you post up, we're guaranteed to win!"

"But if we let Tim play one-on-one, it would be a bit difficult. Considering it's already a Game 7, we changed the matchup."

"Anyway, Lin thinks that unless Rivers is really a fool or an idiot, or he bets his entire fortune on you losing tonight, you won't get any one-on-one opportunities at all."

"In other words, whether I guard you or my grandma guards you, there's not much difference. Tonight, all you'll do is grab rebounds, set screens, and play defense. Oh, and if they're in a good mood, they might give you a couple of balls to dunk on."

"Like, like what again? Right! Like how my son generously gives his beloved dog a bone every time it does a sit or shake hands!"

How many bones are you planning to eat tonight?

"Shut up, you bastard! You're nagging like an 80-year-old lady!" Howard angrily shoved Boozer, his face full of displeasure, clearly feeling that Boozer had hit the nail on the head.

Meanwhile, Duncan had successfully shaken off Yao Ming and scored his first goal of the night. Boozer was unmoved by Howard's shoving and had no intention of messing with him. Instead, he continued to stick close to Howard and continue his taunts.

"Am I more long-winded than an 80-year-old lady? But I think your heart is more hollow than a 60-year-old man without a dick."

"Alright, I'm not talking to you anymore, I need to get moving." Boozer chuckled. "If you're only doing the dirty work, you're pretty good. I need to stay away from you. Blue-collar worker!"

The last blue-collar worker definitely stung Howard's heart. He didn't even bother to refute it or say that Howard was wrong.

Although he was stung, Howard still had some professional ethics; he wouldn't tank from the start.

Howard quickly returned to his defensive position and successfully disrupted Hayward's layup attempt. Duncan then grabbed the rebound, and the Celtics' defense was successful, allowing them to continue their offense!
Next, the Celtics unleashed their signature fluid offense of the past few years. Parker had the ball at the top of the key, and Duncan set a screen for him. Then, Duncan found the perfect opportunity to cut to the basket. Although he wasn't fast, his timing and angle were impeccable, and he almost instantly put Yao Ming behind him.

Parker immediately bounced the ball to Duncan. Duncan received the ball and faced Boozer, who was coming to help defend him, but instead of challenging Boozer's defense, he made a low pass under Boozer's arm and passed the ball to Howard, who was completely left behind.

Make one of your shots, kid!

Duncan's goal was to feed Howard the ball as much as possible, let him dunk to his heart's content, and then calm him down so he could focus on defense and win the game.

Unfortunately, Lin Tian wouldn't let him have his way.

He had already confessed everything.

"Snapped!"

With a crisp, clean sound, DeRozan appeared behind Howard and slapped Howard's arm directly. This slap didn't even touch the ball; it was purely aimed at committing a foul.

Howard let out a scream and immediately lost control of the basketball.

DeRozan landed a powerful blow, but also provided excellent protection by catching Howard and ensuring he landed safely.

The referee didn't hesitate at all, giving DeRozan a regular handball foul and then signaling Howard to take the free throws.

"Fuck you! Cowards! If you've got the guts, let me dunk on you! You're scared, aren't you?" Howard cursed as he walked to the free-throw line, which he hated so much.

He would rather a dunk count for only 1 point than face a moment at the free-throw line that felt like a public trial to him.

Lin Tian, ​​watching Howard cursing back then, couldn't help but laugh. Did this guy think it was just two free throws?

Hehe, this is just the beginning!
Tonight, I guarantee Howard will be sleeping at the free-throw line, unless he doesn't touch the ball at all!

At the free-throw line, Howard loosened his wrist and made one of two free throws, adding one point for the team.

The Bobcats finally scored, with DeRozan hitting a mid-range jumper for two points, giving the Bobcats their first points and setting the stage for a back-and-forth battle. (End of Chapter)