NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

"Lin actually dares to put Stephenson on the court?" Miller was stunned when he saw the lineup Lin Tian brought onto the court at the start of the second quarter.

Stephenson played terribly in the last game, which was obvious to everyone. He was almost the main culprit for the team's loss. After he came on the court, all he did was get carried away and miss shots.

If he's a regular rotation player or a core player for the team, then giving him another chance tonight would be fine. Coaches are always more tolerant of their core players.

But a player of Stephenson's caliber is truly undeniable in the playoffs.

If you play well, you can continue playing. If you play poorly in one game, or even just one or two rounds, then you can forget about playing in this series.

The playoffs are not a place for fringe players to test their skills and find their rhythm.

In this league, 99% of the coaches do this.

But Lin Tian actually dared to let him go today!

Miller and Jackson were both taken aback, and even Mike Brown, sitting opposite them, subconsciously adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses to hide his surprise.

This guy always does a lot of thorough and accurate pre-competition preparation, although very little of it translates into actual performance. He's the typical type of poor student who stays up all night studying but finds it all useless in the exam.

His pre-match preparations were indeed thorough.

Even Brown didn't analyze or study Stephenson before today's game.

He didn't think the guy who practically led the Cavaliers to victory in the last game would be able to play.

However, Brown only shuddered for a moment before forgetting about Stephenson.

So what if a benchwarmer only has one highlight game all year?
You think you can tie the score right away?

Bullshit!

On the court, Jeremy Lin dribbled the ball and started the first offensive play of the second quarter. He quickly went to the frontcourt, turned his back and leaned against Snow, who entered the NBA in the same year as Lin Tian but was a few months older than Lin Tian. He pushed the old man back half a step.

Then Jeremy Lin quickly turned halfway and accelerated, trying to force his way past the old man.

Fortunately, West knew that Snow's abilities, apart from playmaking, had declined to the point of being unplayable, so he promptly helped defend and closed the gaps left by Snow's defense.

Jeremy Lin immediately made a one-handed pass to Stephenson, who had been left out by West.

For the Cavaliers, allowing Stephenson to shoot was an easy decision they could make without any discussion or research.

If we don't let him shoot, who else can we let shoot?

Go for it! Scoring a goal is awesome!
Stephenson, upon receiving the ball, naturally did not hesitate at all!
He even glanced down to make sure he was outside the three-point line before pulling up for a shot.

"Shh!"

With a crisp sound, Stephenson scored his first open-play goal of the series!

In the first two games, he didn't play much, but took a lot of shots, yet his efficiency was completely lacking.

This is why everyone thinks he won't be able to play tonight.

But now, this guy has scored!

"Fuck you! Are you kidding me!" Brown cursed, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses again. This guy, he can just walk in right away?

"I knew Lance would make it." Lin Tian casually put his hand on Stevens' shoulder and said, "Do you know what this is called?"

"This is the power of belief!"

"What power?" Lin Tian's question was too convoluted, and Stevens couldn't find a way to respond.

"I believe he can make the shot, and he believes he can make the shot. We both believe it!"

"Isn't this the power of belief?" Stevens said, "You're just adding another word to your list of beliefs to pad out your vocabulary!"
"Why can't you understand?" Lin Tian said angrily. "I believe he believes he can make the shot. He believes I believe he can make the shot. Do you understand?"

“I don’t understand at all.” Stevens shook his head quickly, indicating that he had no idea what you were talking about.

"No need to explain then." Lin Tian said to the players on the court, "Remember the tactics I just set up? Now is our time to take the lead!"

"Boom!"

Before Lin Tian could finish speaking, Stephenson, who had grabbed the rebound and dribbled to the frontcourt, missed a three-pointer.

This guy still has a knack for getting carried away.

"Hiss, next round, next round we'll take the lead." Lin Tian was unusually embarrassed for a moment, then stopped looking at Stevens and shouted to the field, "Don't rush! No need to rush, take it one at a time!"

If you make a three-pointer like that, it's awesome, but if you miss, it's a huge blow to your teammates' morale.

For the next few rounds, the two sides traded blows but neither managed to score, and Lin Tian's so-called 'comeback in the next round' never materialized.

Fortunately, Stevens has matured now, and he won't chase after Lin Tian to ask childish questions like, "Why haven't you overtaken us yet?" which would only get him a beating.

He knew he had to keep quiet.

In the second quarter, the success rate of both teams' starters and substitutes was not very high. The Cavaliers finally scored their first points of the second quarter with a signature jump shot from the wing two minutes into the game.

32: 30!

The Cavaliers are in the lead again.

But less than 20 seconds later, the Bobcats executed another beautiful play.

It was still Jeremy Lin's pick-and-roll that started the drive. Lin drove to the basket and made a crossover pass to Barnes on the baseline. Barnes then quickly passed the ball to Odom on the wing, and Odom passed it to Stephenson at the top of the key.

After several consecutive passes, Stephenson, facing an open space, once again received the ball and immediately pulled up for a shot.

This time, he finally hit the target!
The Bobcats have officially taken the lead!
"Shh!"

Another crisp sound! Stephenson hit two three-pointers in three minutes in the second quarter! Although he had already taken four shots in less than three minutes, the explosiveness of his shots was comparable to that of Rose. But as long as they went in, it was awesome!

"FUXX!" Brown cursed again; he was extremely annoyed.

What is this!

How come any random player on the Bobcats can suddenly explode and make one shot after another?

While he was somewhat envious of the abundance of talent on Lin Tian's side, he glanced at his own team's bench.

Or, why don't you find two water dispensers and try it yourself?
Just as Brown was hesitating about whether to make a substitution, Anthony had already succeeded in another one-on-one attack, driving into the basket, dodging the defense, and successfully making a layup, helping his team regain the lead.

Then, in the Bobcats' attack, after a series of passes and moves, the ball once again ended up in Stephenson's hands.

This time, instead of shooting directly, he faked out the Cavaliers player who was defending him.

Then he suddenly accelerated and charged towards the basket.

However, his speed is not top-tier.

As he accelerated his charge, the Cavaliers' explosive forward Moon and backup center Varejao were already in position.

Varejao stood under the basket, blocking Stephenson's path to the rim; his positioning was still impeccable.

Moon then displayed his terrifying physical abilities, leaping high into the air and waiting for Stephenson to rush over before slapping him hard, sending the basketball he had just thrown flying far away.

"Looking for a hat? Seriously!" Miller couldn't help but say, "That charge was so brainless! Just charging like that, it's no wonder they got hated and made stupid!"

“No wonder Lin is always so cautious in his use of Stephenson. He’ll give him opportunities, but not too many.” Jackson added, “This guy is really a double-edged sword, and more often than not, he hurts himself more than he hurts his opponents.”

"He's really good once he gets in, but to be honest, this guy's attributes are too one-dimensional."

Jackson's analysis of Stephenson is quite insightful; he is exactly that kind of player. But it must be said that this kind of player is truly unpredictable.

Because less than 10 seconds after his reckless charge was blocked by the opponent, he quickly circled around to the outside of the three-second zone on the defensive end, and then collided head-on with West who was rushing in!

"Offensive foul!"

The referee blew his whistle quickly and made an offensive foul gesture with both hands. The entire Spectrum Center erupted in cheers, and everyone cheered together!
Stephenson, lying on the floor, once again plucked the strings with both hands and began to play his favorite lute.

Maybe they're mindless, maybe they always make mistakes, but these kinds of players are always full of passion and always bring energy to others!
"Derek, that's enough, let's go!"

Then, just when Jackson was speechless and felt that Stephenson had slapped him in the face again, Lin Tian suddenly replaced him.

Rose returned to the court, while Stephenson, who had just delivered a standout performance, was replaced by Lin Tian.

There was no way around it; Lin Tian understood Stephenson better than anyone else.

This guy doesn't even have the concept of cooling down in his head.

We have to take him off before he gets completely carried away, or who knows what he might do on the field next.

Prevention is better than cure!

Although Stephenson is prone to losing his temper and seems like a madman, he is also a sensible person. For example, he clearly knows his position on the team, and when he was substituted at this time, he did not show any displeasure or anger.

If it were any other player, they would probably be yelling at the coach right now: "I was playing perfectly, why did you take me off the court!"

Well... of course, it's also possible that no one dared to yell at Lin Tian at all.

Stephenson's reaction at this moment was quite endearing: "Coach, was my offensive foul drawn okay?"

"Great job!" Lin Tian gave a thumbs up, completely ignoring Stephenson's recent bad shot and block: "I knew you could do it, lead the team to take the lead! Go sit down, don't relax, don't let yourself cool down, wait for your chance!"

We might need you anytime tonight!

"Don't worry, Coach! I'm all ready! I'm on standby!"

An excited Stephenson wanted to jump up and down on the sidelines.

Lin Tian has a knack for dealing with this type of player.

His greatest skill in life was dealing with all sorts of birds and beasts.

After Rose came on, he didn't rush to attack. Instead, he acted as a feint point, organizing the offense from the top of the key and letting his teammates show off. At the same time, he also took the opportunity to warm up and get his body fully warmed up.

On the Cavaliers' side, in the second possession after Rose entered the game, Brown patted Wade on the shoulder, bringing his star player onto the court.

Anthony took the opportunity to come down and rest for a while.

As soon as Wade stepped onto the court, he immediately displayed the performance expected of a team leader.

He called for a screen, accelerated his drive, and then drove to the basket. After dodging Odom's help defense in mid-air, he unleashed his signature second-strike in mid-air and slammed the ball into the hoop with one hand!
The Cavaliers are in the lead again!

"It's my turn."

Rose didn't say it aloud, but after giving himself a mental hint, he immediately waved for the ball and dribbled it up the court.

Facing West, who was once again on high alert and charging over to guard him, Ross remained as ruthless and taciturn as ever.

After two consecutive crossover dribbles, he suddenly increased the range of his dribbling, executing a crossover that left West momentarily stunned. He then flashed past West once again, and once again, he was faster than the Cavaliers' help defense, driving into the basket in the blink of an eye.

"Shh!"

Seeing Varejao standing still, ready to fall backwards at any moment, Rose simply threw the ball without making any physical contact with him.

You like to draw offensive fouls and flop, right?
Go fight the air yourself!

Rose played the same way after scoring as he did in the first quarter.

Quiet and silent, yet as terrifying as a wild beast!
Rose's ferocity might intimidate West and the role players, but Wade, who has also been in the league for many years and has seen more big moments, will not be intimidated!

Wade then used a pick-and-roll to create a mismatch and got a chance to match up against Rose. Wade, who doesn't like trash talk much either, didn't talk to him. Instead, he quickly turned around and powered his way to the back of the table!

He can match up against shooting guards without being at a disadvantage in strength, but he is at a disadvantage in height. But now he is bullying Rose, who is much shorter than him, so he has no problem with either strength or height!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

With a series of powerful collisions, Wade relentlessly pressed towards the paint, then suddenly turned and pulled up for his signature close-range bank shot.

"Snap, swish!"

Two voices rang out almost simultaneously. Wade scored 2 points, and the score remained neck and neck, with neither side able to pull away easily.

"Delonte, you go guard that Lin!" After scoring, Wade quickly retreated while instructing West to switch defenses.

He's going to have to face off against Rose.

After quickly returning to his defensive position, Wade slammed his hand heavily on the floor, looking at Rose provocatively.

Although he didn't say a word, everyone could understand what he meant.

"Come here!"

Rose didn't say anything either. At this moment, both of them seemed to think that whoever spoke first would lose. They both chose to remain silent. Then Rose dribbled continuously to find his rhythm, and then suddenly accelerated!
Wade's lateral movement and speed were much faster than West's. He immediately stuck to Rose, not giving him any more chances to cut inside. Although the two were moving towards the baseline at the same time, Rose, whose position was blocked by Wade, was unable to get close to the basket at all.

After driving all the way to the baseline, the sharp-eyed Rose immediately noticed that West was rapidly approaching him on the other side. If he hesitated or didn't pull up immediately, he would fall into the Cavaliers' double-team trap in no time!

So Rose didn't hesitate. Without shaking off Wade, he jumped up and, after a brief confrontation with Wade in mid-air, delivered a standard Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-style skyhook with his left hand!

"Shh!"

With a crisp sound, Rose's difficult shot went in!
"Fantastic! Fantastic! These two stars are going head-to-head!" Miller shouted. "I hope they keep playing like this until the end of the game! Keep going head-to-head and giving it their all!"

"Wade's defense on that play was flawless! He completely blocked Rose's shooting angle and also completely shut down Rose's direct attack on the basket."

"Wade's defense is truly impeccable! Take that hook shot, for example. Let's not even talk about anyone else. Even if you let Rose do it himself, he would only make 2 out of 10 attempts! It can only be said that both of them brought out the top attitude and form in the league today."

"The fans are really in for a treat tonight!"

With the two commentators' analysis and encouragement, the cheers from the fans in the stadium grew louder and more frenzied, and everyone was fully engaged.

Rose and Wade did not disappoint the fans, turning the game into a one-on-one battle in the next few minutes!

Both players were in excellent form tonight, scoring repeatedly with incredible shots, and they also gave their all on defense.

The fierce confrontation was just the most basic part; the two players moved their feet and lateral movements, constantly trying to steal the ball or block it.

Wade used his height and wingspan to block Rose, but Rose responded with a steal using his lower center of gravity and faster speed!
The two were not only competing in offense, but also in defense!
"What's that saying again? Top stars, as long as they're willing to play defense, they'll definitely be top defenders! Especially in one-on-one situations." Lin Tian suddenly said, "Derrick's defensive potential was really buried before."

"Oh, right, we're not talking about a few extreme cases like Nash and Iverson. One of them is too fragile and the other is too short; it's not something that can be changed by hard work."

"I didn't question it!" Stevenson looked quite innocent, raising his hand and looking at Lin Tian, ​​as if to say, "What are you trying to explain?"

"What if you want to question it but are too embarrassed to say it?" Lin Tian said with a smirk. "I'm just taking precautions. I'm using my experience to dispel your doubts in advance."

"Yao Ming, Carlos, have you two rested enough? Go! Go help Derrick relieve some pressure and let him rest for a while. He needs to save his energy for the fourth quarter!"

After explaining, Lin Tian immediately called on the team's two main inside players, saying it was almost time for them to take the court!

They've been sitting on the sidelines for almost half the quarter!
Gasol and Anthony on the other side had already entered the game two minutes ago.

"Look! The Bobcats have made another roster change!" (End of Chapter)