NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

This is Lin Tian.

One second he's worrying about how to find the Cavaliers' weaknesses and how to find an opportunity to deliver the fatal blow, and the next second he'll find a way to target and defeat his opponent because of some opportunity.

His mind is as quick as a Bugatti Veyron at full throttle; any opposing coach who tries to challenge him in terms of change and reaction is destined to suffer a terrible defeat.

At this moment, Lin Tian even began to regret it.

Jordan shouldn't have been allowed to play in the game!
We've already figured out a solution for the next game; we should let him come back in the game after that or in the finals.

Resources must be maximized.

Lin Tian has always been a decisive person who acts on his thoughts immediately. So after thinking about this matter, he took out his phone at the press conference and tapped away to send Jordan a text message.

"Don't come to the next game, the players might misunderstand."

A misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?

Jordan looked at the message Lin Tian sent him with a Nick Young-like expression.

You're the one who invited me here, and you're the one who didn't want me to come. What's wrong with you?

"Why?"

Jordan sent Lin Tian an even simpler message.

"That's none of your business, just don't come. By the way, didn't you watch the post-match press conference?"

The reason Lin Tian asked this question was quite simple.

He didn't believe Jordan would be in the mood to text him after watching the press conference.

Do you think I don't know how petty you are?

……

Two days later, in the fourth game of the series, everything went exactly as Lin Tian had predicted.

Even if the Cavaliers didn't want to watch, they certainly couldn't escape the reporters' questioning and the explosive information bombardment from various online forums and social media platforms that have become increasingly developed in recent years. They must know every word that Lin Tian and Rose said at the press conference.

Wade may be mature, but he's not without a temper.

On the contrary, this guy has a terrible temper.

While he didn't make many retaliatory moves during the game, he still made quite a few.

The two most classic examples are the passionate elbowing exchanges with Kobe during a positioning battle, and the incident during the All-Star Game where Kobe hit him hard, causing Kobe to immediately slap him and break his nose.

Wade is a sly guy.

He will not tolerate Rose's unilateral declaration that he is the best player in the league.

I'm the MVP, and you're publicly proclaiming yourself number one? What about me? Did I just pick up this MVP award by chance?

I'll kill you and teach you how to distinguish between the King and Queen!
Furthermore, even disregarding the personal grudges between the two, the Cavaliers still need to target Rose in Game 4 of the series, based solely on the course of the game.

Who can stay focused on defense even after an opponent scores 50+ points? How stubborn must they be?

Therefore, in Game 4 of the series, Rose was heavily targeted, with West providing constant close defense and Wade's ever-present help defense from the very beginning.

This defensive approach is actually the strategy to maximize the Cavaliers' backcourt double-guard defensive capabilities.

Wade's greatest strength is help defense.

This double-team defense, with players almost always lurking around his side, caused Rose a lot of trouble in Game 4 of the series. He experienced a dramatic shift from heaven to hell overnight.

After scoring 50+ points in the previous game, he only made 4 of 14 shots tonight, with a shooting percentage of less than 30%. He barely managed to get 18 points and 5 assists through free throws, and also had 4 turnovers.

If Rose was a godlike player who saved the team in the last game, then he was absolutely terrible tonight.

However, Rose's disastrous performance didn't ruin the team.

Because he was mentally prepared.

Right after the press conference for the last game, Lin Tian specifically sought out Rose to talk to him.

“I’m deliberately trying to hurt you. If we say that, the Cavaliers will definitely target you! I know you’re not afraid, and you’ll definitely say you’re not afraid. You definitely want to try to break their blockade and take down their double teams and targeting.”

"I believe you can do it, but there's no need! Relax, let your teammates get involved in the game, let them have the ball and attack more, and you should reduce your shot attempts."

"That way, we can win more easily! If you listen to me, we can win the next game by more than 15 points! How about that? If you listen to me, we can easily play the whole game for less than 30 minutes and then go to the bench to rest."

"Even if you risk your life, you might not win. You play at least 45 minutes a game and are exhausted like a dog, and then people say you're impulsive, irrational, immature, unable to be a leader, and don't deserve to be the MVP?"

"Coach, since you've put it that way, I feel like I have no choice at all." Rose was a little helpless. How stupid would he have to be to say something like, "I still want to try," after all that talk?

It was precisely because Lin Tian had given Rose a heads-up that the guy was able to remain calm and composed when facing all the difficulties in the game.

The most significant change is the number of shots taken.

In the first three games of the series, Rose took 22, 25, and 34 shots respectively, but in the fourth game, he only took 14 shots.

This is certainly not because the Cavaliers' defense prevented Rose from getting a shot off, but because Rose chose to pass the ball more often, and many times he passed it ahead of time.

The Cavaliers' defensive system is quite good, making it difficult for Rose's passes to immediately translate into shooting opportunities, but the Bobcats' offensive system is also quite good.

When the opponent uses a double-team tactic, as long as you don't hold onto the ball too long or hesitate, and you pass the ball decisively, you will definitely get a lot of open space.

That's exactly what the Bobcats did!
In this game, with the Cavaliers relentlessly targeting Rose and severely limiting him, the Bobcats unleashed a barrage of attacks from all sides, completely dismantling the Cavaliers' defense!
That night, the Bobcats dished out 35 assists, breaking their franchise record. Of course, the Bobcats' historical record is nothing to brag about, as they have only played fewer than 15 playoff games in their entire franchise history.

甚至35次助攻放眼整个NBA历史也不算什么了不起的记录，NBA季后赛历史单场最高记录是凯尔特人队1990年创造的单场42次，单场助攻数达到或者超过35次的季后赛场次达到了55次。

The Bobcats are only the 56th team in history to have done this.

Looking at it this way, this record seems insignificant.

But what if we look at it from a different angle, using the customized data that the NBA excels at?

The last time a team had 35 or more assists in a single game was with the Charlotte Hornets in 2000.

There wasn't even a Bobcats team back then.

In other words, this is the first time in 11 years that a team has recorded 35 assists in a single game in the league.

In addition, among all 55 games with 35+ assists, the Bobcats are the only team where no player had 7 assists and five players had 5 assists.

With a little customization, anyone can be unique in history.

Of course, the most important thing tonight is not how many records the Bobcats broke, but this data can fully demonstrate how smoothly they played tonight!
Rose, Hayward, and Yao Ming each dished out 5 assists, while Lin and Odom each dished out 6.

Of the five players, three were starters and two were substitutes, which makes it even clearer how smoothly the Bobcats played tonight.

If you double-team me, I'll pass the ball around like crazy and drive and dish, putting pressure on and changing your defense, leaving you helpless.

Of course, the Cavaliers weren't so stubborn as to insist on double-teaming Rose.

After suffering a setback in the first half, they tried having West guard Rose one-on-one in the second half, and Rose then had his only highlight moment of the game.

In the first four minutes of the third quarter, he scored two goals and drew two fouls, converting four free throws. Half of his field goals and points tonight came from those four minutes!

That four minutes of madness completely intimidated the Cavaliers.

You can't have both unleash a barrage of arrows and simultaneously bombard single targets with random bursts of fire, can you?

We've given you everything, what's the point of fighting?

As it turns out, even if you didn't get everything, you still wouldn't care!

With the Bobcats' hot hand and insane scoring burst, the Cavaliers were naturally torn apart and vulnerable. The Bobcats scored 100 points in just three quarters that night, fulfilling Lin Tian's request and taking a commanding 20-point lead over the Cavaliers!
In the fourth quarter, Lin Tian pulled out a completely reserve lineup of Williams, Odom, Lin, Fields, and Stephenson!
In an effort to catch up, the opposing team once again fielded their full strength!

That's just Lin Tian's style. When the situation is urgent and there's no opportunity, he takes a steady and methodical approach, proceeding step by step.

When the team has the initiative and an absolute advantage, and has the opportunity to show off, he will definitely show off in a spectacular way!
For example, at this moment, Lin Tian doesn't care whether you use your full starting lineup or not, he will just use five substitutes to provoke and annoy you!

If you can catch up, I'll switch to someone to duel with you sooner. If you can't catch up, you'll definitely be disgusted and unwilling to just take down your main lineup like that.

It's about being disgusting while simultaneously burning through your energy; its main appeal is its filth!

The best outcome of Lin Tian's dirty trick is that the substitutes dominate the court, provoking the Cavaliers' starters to the point where they'd rather grab a knife and go on the court, causing them to expend a lot of unnecessary energy.

The worst-case scenario is that the point difference is narrowed to 13-4, and then the starters are sent in to beat the Cavaliers again.

Lin Tian has always been quite adept at judging boundaries and maintaining appropriate limits.

Tonight's situation is clearly the best possible outcome of Lin Tian's plan.

The substitutes were in top form, and everyone maintained the level of play they had in the first three quarters.

More importantly, the Bobcats' roster also includes two big stunners, Odom and Stephenson.

These two aren't always reliable when playing from behind, but when playing with the advantage, they're both incredibly skilled.

They came one after another with continuous turns and no-look passes, fake shots and behind-the-back passes, and long-range guided one-handed passes.

In addition, these two seem to have a chemistry; after scoring or assisting, they can even perform some coordinated celebrations.

This arrogant and hated style of play made the Cavaliers' key players look increasingly grim.

I can't stand it, I want to get rid of them, I want to beat them to a pulp.

But it can't be done.

The Bobcats were in top form tonight, and their decision to double-team Rose was a huge mistake.

Despite fielding their best players in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers couldn't catch up against the Bobcats' red-hot performance. Six minutes into the fourth quarter, the score difference was still 20 points.

Even so, the Cavaliers' starters didn't leave the court. They played for another three minutes until the last three minutes of the game when Brown finally made a bold move, bringing in all five starters.

"I don't understand this behavior of letting the core players play an extra 9 minutes for no reason." Miller said immediately when he saw Brown finally make a substitution. "It's not that you have to give up when you're down by 20 points, it's about your scoring situation."

"Given the situation tonight, the two sides are not even on the same level in terms of condition and determination. If you let the main force play for so long under these circumstances, it is just a pointless waste of energy."

"Wade played 43 minutes, Anthony and Gasol both played 40 minutes, and even veteran Zydrunas Ilgauskas played 38 minutes."

"I can only say that it's unnecessary, I don't understand it, and I can't empathize with it."

"Don't tell me it's because the players didn't want to admit defeat or didn't want to leave the field. What kind of coach are you? If a coach can't even manage his players, can't make these kinds of decisions, and doesn't even have this much authority, then..."

"That's really bad enough!"

Amid Miller's relentless criticism, Game 4 of the series ended in a resounding victory for the Bobcats.

99: 127!

They ultimately defeated the Cavaliers by 28 points, securing their biggest win in this series!
"I heard someone was unhappy with our comments after the last game? They think we were talking nonsense?" Rose was already quite adept at this, and even though he hadn't played well, he still made a boastful and provocative statement after the game.

"And now? Someone who lost by almost 30 points still thinks he deserved it, that everything he got was rightfully his?"

"Does someone who has lost by nearly 30 points still think they are entitled to be bullied and can crush everyone?"

"But Derek, you didn't play well tonight!" Among the reporters in the audience, there were still some 'righteous people' who quickly questioned Rose's somewhat awkward self-praise.

"You don't understand football!" In the blink of an eye, Rose used the tricks Lin Tian had taught him to stir up trouble and his secrets for giving interviews.

A jade lotus hairpin swaying in the breeze!

The changes Lin Tian brought to this Lynx team were definitely not just about obvious things like skills, tactics, and individual abilities.

He also brought various subtle changes to the team.

For example, trash talk, shamelessness, and the unseen bottom line.

So far, Rose has learned the best among the players!
What are your thoughts on top-tier basketball players? What qualities do you consider to qualify someone as a top-tier player?

Upon hearing this question, Ross immediately declared that he was no longer sleepy!
"You guys probably think that a superstar is someone who can easily score 50 points or have 25 assists, or grab 20 rebounds and block 10 shots all by himself."

"But I don't think so! I think the best players are those who, no matter what their form is, how well they're shooting or what their stats are, or whether they can become MVP, can single-mindedly help the team."

"That's what MVP means! MVP is never given to the person with the best stats, but to the number one star player on the strongest team."

"Those guys who don't score or control the ball, whose stats drop, and then they're at a loss, not knowing how to help the team, shouldn't receive this award!"

"This award belongs to me, and to guys like us who can help the team win no matter what form we're in, what tactics we're using, what style we're playing, or what defensive system we're facing!"

"For example, tonight, if they double-team me, I don't even need to touch the ball. My teammates can beat them. If they don't double-team me, I can completely destroy them in 3 minutes!"

"Lin taught me this move. He told me it's called off-ball movement, it's called 'Ronaldo's Gravity,' and it's called 'deterrence'!"

"Only people who don't understand football would think that a player who doesn't have the ball, doesn't score, and has bad stats isn't a good player."

"My game tonight is called the 'Ball Illiteracy Test'! You can take this game and ask everyone. If their answer is that I played badly, then they don't understand football! If they say I played very well, then they're alright."

"If they can shout 'MVP' after watching it, then that person must be one of the most knowledgeable basketball players around you."

"Glug glug." While Ross was spouting nonsense and bragging about his conch shell, Lin Tian couldn't help but take a tactical sip of water to hide his embarrassment.

Ross said that, of course, because Lin Tian taught him.

But Lin Tian felt that this kid seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much.

too exaggerated.

It's true that you're allowed to boast and continue to mock the other side, but to go this far without batting an eye, isn't that a bit too much of a conviction?

Lin Tian even suspected that Ross might be taking this opportunity to reveal his true feelings...

Unfortunately, Ross clearly went a bit too far, saying things that didn't sound like something a normal person would say.

As the saying goes, too much of a good thing can be bad. At the very least, the Cavaliers didn't take his somewhat comedic boasting to heart.

In the next game, back at Quicken Loans Arena, the Cavaliers changed their defense again, switching to a full-court 1-on-1 man-to-man defense.

Back in Cleveland, the Cavaliers' fighting spirit and morale exploded again. Even though they scored 35 points and 10 assists against Rose's one-on-one defense, they still couldn't bring the team a victory on the road.

98: 107.

The Cavaliers have gained the upper hand in the pivotal Game 5!
They have reached match point, and if they win one of the next two games, they will advance to the finals!
Unfortunately, the Cavaliers, despite their united efforts, didn't fare well at the Spectrum Center. They faced the equally united Bobcats, who, with the added advantage of playing at home, were not going to give up easily and were unwilling to let the Cavaliers take the victory on their home court.

Throughout the match, the score remained close, with neither side achieving a high success rate or accuracy. The score was tied until the final two minutes of the game.

Then both sides went on a shooting spree, neither able to score in the final moments.

With 40 seconds left in the game, Rose's layup attempt missed and the ball bounced off the rim again, but this time Yao Ming grabbed the rebound and caught the ball.

Then, when he went up again, he successfully drew a foul from Zydrunas Ilgauskas and got to the free-throw line.

At the free-throw line, Yao Ming took several deep breaths to compose himself, and then, to the anticipation of the entire Charlotte crowd, he made both free throws!
Yao Ming's incredibly steady free throws once again saved the team!
Then, the Spectrum Center erupted in cheers, and everyone spontaneously stood up.

The Cavaliers called a timeout.

There are 40 seconds left in the game!
90:92! (End of Chapter)