NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

"At most, I'm the second greatest, because the first place definitely belongs to me." Lin Tian said with a smile, "Although I can't remember if I've ever reversed so many records, I believe this record definitely belongs to me."

"Michael, could this be the same incredible comeback that happened in the series where I beat you in '98?"

"Shut up! Focus on your tactics!" Jordan frowned and said, "What do I care! You were just lucky in that series, winning by one point, but you've never come back from such a big deficit!"

"Never mind that petty squabble." Lin Tian shrugged and looked at his players, saying, "The final tactics are simple."

"First of all, James played the entire third quarter, so he won't be on the court at the start of the fourth quarter. We need to close the gap as much as possible before he comes on, double-team Nowitzki, and prevent him from getting into a rhythm! Keep his shooting touch cold!"

"The second step of the plan is to wait for James to come back, then let him shoot. We'll collapse the paint and let him shoot freely, but we can't let him drive into the paint and score easily again! He was on fire in the third quarter, scoring 20+ points in that quarter, and what happened?"

"One three-point attempt, miss! Two attempts from above the free-throw line, miss!"

"This guy doesn't trust his mid-range shooting touch at all, and he doesn't like shooting from mid-range or long range, so let's just let him shoot happily from there!"

"Of course, if he makes the shot, we'll move on to the third step, but no need to rush, let's wait until he makes it!"

"Now, let's execute our first step plan and narrow the gap! Yao, Carlos, Gordon, DeMar, Derrick, the five of you go in!"

After all the players had left the court, Van Gundy suddenly leaned close to Lin Tian and whispered, "Do you really have a third plan to deal with a LeBron James on fire?"

"How could that be, Jeff? Are you kidding me? We're down by 20 points, and their star player, who isn't good at shooting, is on fire, swishing and swishing. In this situation, what kind of third-line plan is there? Preparing a plan for the next game is the only way."

Lin Tian didn't hide anything from Van Gundy, but said directly: "But first, I believe he won't make the shot! Second, I need to make my players feel that even if he makes the shot, it's not a big deal, because their coach still has a secret weapon!"

Van Gundy couldn't help but nod again. He didn't think Lin Tian was cunning or shameless. On the contrary, at this moment, Van Gundy's admiration for Lin Tian was becoming increasingly uncontrollable.

He even began to feel fortunate that he had joined Lin Tian's coaching team. Otherwise, with all these twists and turns, he would never have been able to figure things out in his entire life.

At the same time, on the Mavericks' bench, Johnson's volatile temper was exactly as Lin Tian had predicted!
“LeBron, you played terribly! I know you scored 20 points in one quarter, but you played terribly! I even wonder if you've taken the wrong medication! Why didn't you pass the ball? Scoring isn't your job! You need to pass the ball, understand?”

"If you keep playing like this, you're going to sit on the bench and watch how your teammates play! Understand? You stupid bastard? I don't care what your status is in the league, and I don't care what the hell you've done in San Antonio!"

"Remember this: in Dallas, I'm the boss! I'm the fucking emperor!"

"Alright, sit on the bench and think this through. Everyone else, come here! Let me tell you bastards how we're going to play in the fourth quarter!"

Johnson was talking animatedly about his tactics, but he clearly didn't notice the somewhat fierce look in James' eyes from the bench behind him.

James stared intently at Johnson's retreating figure, but ultimately didn't utter a single word.

He can also distinguish between what is important and what is urgent.

But we can still tell the difference for now.

Soon, the fourth quarter resumed. Except for the last minute of the second quarter, Nowitzki's touch wasn't great, especially after he barely touched the ball in the entire third quarter, when he seemed to get cold.

At the start of the fourth quarter, when he was leading the team, he missed two consecutive shots, and the basketball bounced off the rim.

It was only because Terry played well in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter, hitting two shots; otherwise, the Mavericks would have been reduced to within 10 points by the Bobcats in just the first three minutes of the fourth quarter when James was not on the court.

The Bobcats' firepower was incredible in those 3 minutes!

Rose charged forward again. Without James's ever-present threat of chasing down shots, the Bobcats players were more determined when attacking the basket, fast breaking, and driving to the basket. After all, Nowitzki's presence under the basket wasn't as intimidating as Cuban's.
After all, if they knocked over Cuban, they might face lawsuits and have to pay compensation. But if they knocked over Nowitzki, the Bobcats players only need to flex their muscles and utter a few trash words.

With the Bobcats' continuous attacks and layups, the point difference between the two teams narrowed again.

9 minutes and 11 seconds!
With nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the gap between the two sides had grown to 12 points!
The Bobcats narrowed the gap by 4 points in a short period of time, and the gap between the two sides is getting smaller and smaller!

The fans at the stadium were getting increasingly excited; they were beginning to see a real possibility and opportunity for a comeback!

"LeBron, go up there! Don't let me down! Don't let me regret this! Do what you're supposed to do, understand? Give the ball to Dirk! You spread the floor, we're a team, we're a fucking, fucking team, you know?"

"Stop making me teach you this stuff. Go play basketball properly, and then we'll lift the championship trophy together!"

James didn't respond to Johnson's foul-mouthed coaching; he didn't like the feeling, but he still wanted to win.

He still wants the championship!
On the first possession after returning to the court, James came to the three-point line, raised the ball high with both hands, and then he found himself unbelievably left unguarded.

However, James didn't shoot. He didn't even glance at the basket. Instead, he just held the ball up, waiting for his teammates to make a run, and then made a through pass to Nowitzki, who had worked so hard to get into position.

Before Nowitzki could even get a foothold, he was double-teamed, slipped, and fell to the ground. The Bobcats seized the ball and launched another counterattack.

James's speed in retreating on defense was incredibly fast. Once he was in position, he made it extremely difficult for Rose and DeRozan, who were both on a fast break, to get back into position. They both felt like they were being tightly marked, and they both felt that no matter if they went in or passed to a teammate, James would shut them down.

A tank with the agility and speed of a Bugatti is truly terrifying.

Fortunately, no matter how strong you are, James is still human. DeRozan reacted quickly, passed the ball to Rose again, and then moved to the other side to create space instead of going towards the basket.

James had no choice but to let him go and guard Rose. After Rose attracted James' defense, it was a bit difficult for him to directly challenge for a layup, but it was easy for him to pass the ball to DeRozan, who was completely open.

DeRozan received Rose's pass near the free-throw line, bent his knees to aim, took a deep breath, and then pulled up for a mid-range jumper.

"Shh!"

After a crisp crack, for professional players, this kind of ball is as easy as drinking water!
Although you might accidentally choke, the chances of that are extremely small.

10 points!

The fans at the scene became even more frenzied, and the overwhelming cheers were almost enough to lift the ceiling. They really saw hope for a comeback and a reversal of fortune!
In the next round, both sides almost mirrored each other. James had a wide open space in front of him with no one guarding him, while Odom was at least 2 meters away. Although he was standing there, he was mostly just keeping an eye on James out of the corner of his eye to prevent him from breaking through.

Shoot?

Whatever you want.

James didn't aim for the basket; instead, he waited for Nowitzki to establish position before passing the ball to him again.

Nowitzki didn't make any mistakes this time, but he was really struggling and having a hard time playing against his opponents, especially when he had to fight two defenders against him.

After a brief struggle and a turn, Nowitzki managed a step back, tiptoed, and launched his signature one-legged jump shot.

"Boom!"

The basketball still missed!

As mentioned before, apart from those three consecutive baskets at the end of the second quarter, Nowitzki really didn't feel good tonight.

This is actually normal. The level of this league is too high. Even the top players are very likely to experience fluctuations in their performance on the court, or even huge fluctuations in a single game.

The most typical example is Kobe's legendary performance in 1747.

That night, Kobe had a terrible shooting night, going 1-for-8 in the first quarter, but improved to 3-for-7 in the second, and then dominated the third with 8-for-13 shooting. However, in the fourth quarter, he went on an incredible 3-for-15 shooting spree, causing his team to lose their lead, go into overtime, and ultimately lose. Tonight, Nowitzki had a similar short-lived hot streak, but it couldn't mask his poor performance throughout the game.

This time, Rose didn't rush after grabbing the rebound. Instead, he slowly dribbled the ball up the court. This offensive play was crucial for the Bobcats!

A goal would narrow the gap to single digits, which would be a huge boost to the team's morale!
"Derrick! Time to hit that one!" Lin Tian, ​​who was off the court, stood up at this moment and shouted at Rose.

Rose nodded, waved his hand to signal the start of the play, and the rest of the players immediately began running around looking for opportunities.

Odom quickly stepped up and set a pick-and-roll with Rose. After the pick-and-roll, Rose took two steps toward the paint and immediately passed the ball to Odom. Odom, who was already cutting to the basket, turned and drove into the paint. Then, he pulled out that piece of junk that makes countless coaches want to curse.

Passing the ball behind the player without looking.

This guy used this move to make several top-ten plays and also passed the ball to Lin Tian or Van Gundy on the bench many times.

No coach wants to see Odom try to make a behind-the-back pass at this point; Van Gundy even closed his eyes.

孽 孽!
Fortunately, there was no mistake this time. Odom's pass was incredibly accurate and flew to Yao Ming's hands in the corner.

After receiving the ball, Yao Ming pulled up and left Nowitzki with no chance to interfere. He could only watch as Yao Ming raised his hand and threw the ball into the basket!
"Shh!"

With a crisp sound, Yao Ming hit a three-pointer!
7 points!

The gap between the two sides has narrowed to 7 points!

"Goal! Within 10 points! Within 10 points!" Miller shouted. "This is the first time the Bobcats have narrowed the gap to single digits since they fell behind in the second quarter! The first time! They haven't given up, their resilience remains as strong as ever!"

"This team is absolutely terrifying! They're incredibly resilient! Every single one of them combined probably wouldn't even consider 'giving up'! Their willpower is truly admirable! Even if they lose tonight, I still believe they can pull off a comeback!"

Jackson on the other side said, "Another noteworthy point is that this was Yao Ming's first three-pointer tonight! Although Yao Ming has grown into one of the best inside shooters in the league this year."

"But he didn't attempt a single three-pointer tonight, focusing entirely on inside attacks, which was clearly part of Lin's plan."

"And now, Lin has finally lifted the ban on Yao Ming, allowing him to come out beyond the three-point line, take a shot, and make the three!"

"Lin spent three quarters numbing the Mavericks' defense, letting them get used to their mindset, allowing them to give up Yao Ming's three-pointer, and then he made it! The Mavericks might have to adjust their entire defense from now on! They'll have to adjust the defensive system they've been adapting to and getting used to all game."

"With this change, it's hard to say how effective the Mavericks' defense will be from now on!"

"They are truly skilled and daring. One of them dared to set up the plan, and the other had the opportunity to take action and actually succeeded!"

"Let's give another round of applause to Lin and Yao, this trusting Chinese duo!"

"FUXX!" Unlike the commentators who are always excited and passionate, Johnson on the sidelines was so angry that he slammed his clipboard down and called a timeout.

His temper had completely flared up at this point, and he even went out to greet the players before they even got close.

"What the hell are you doing! What are you doing! LeBron, why aren't you shooting? Why aren't you shooting when you have such a wide-open shot? Are you an idiot?"

“You won’t allow it.” James remained calm, shrugging his shoulders to indicate that he would listen to James.

These words nearly made Johnson choke. The hot-tempered guy immediately launched into a tirade, venting his anger before finally gritting his teeth and saying, "From now on, shoot when you have the chance, pass when you don't! Understand?"

James didn't answer; he just snorted. He was also angry, and at that moment, James was probably even angrier than Johnson.

Fortunately, Nowitzki quickly spoke up to smooth things over, saying, "Coach, let's get to the tactics."

Johnson snorted again before beginning to outline the next tactics.

As for the Lynx, Lin Tian resumed his charlatan-like performance.

"They're finished, I told you so, right?"

"I told you long ago, 20 points is nothing!"

"Next, let's keep playing like this. Derrick, pick and roll, drive, pass, and fast break! That's your job. Everyone else, wait for your chance. If Derrick passes you the ball, don't hesitate, don't hesitate, shoot the ball!"

"If you make it, you'll be the heroes of the second greatest comeback in NBA playoff history! If you miss, I'll fucking carry the load for you! Don't feel any pressure, don't think about anything else!"

"Relax, just do it! Go make history!"

"Derrick, DeMar, Matt, Carlos, Yao, you five, go!"

At this stage of the competition, Lin Tian once again used a proper lineup of two big men and three small men, and this lineup also had another characteristic.

Apart from Rose, the other four all have the ability to catch the ball and shoot immediately!
Lin Tian's strategy is to have Rose as the absolute core to break through and tear apart the Mavericks' defense, and then have the other players receive the ball and shoot to score.

It can be done!
Lin Tian was extremely confident!

After the timeout, the Mavericks inbounded the ball from the baseline. James calmly advanced the ball, with Terry protecting him. With Marion and Butler partnering on the wing and Nowitzki in the paint, the Mavericks fielded their strongest offensive five!

They also want to score points!

"Johnson is amazing! Logically speaking, the team should be focusing on defense to stabilize the situation at this point, but Johnson clearly knows that two of the team's three strongest players are not good at defense, so rather than putting the strongest lineup off the court for the sake of defense."

"We might as well go all out and go for the offense against the Bobcats! After all, the Mavericks' victories in the previous two games and their lead in the first three quarters tonight were all thanks to their offense!"

"Two very bold and avant-garde coaches are going head-to-head! Let's see what kind of sparks these two coaches will create tonight!"

On the field, both teams were on high alert and giving their all in the game.

The two coaches off the field, however, once again displayed completely different attitudes.

Johnson stood on the sidelines yelling incessantly, while Lin Tian leaned back comfortably in his chair, chatting with Van Gundy next to him about something.

James hesitated again when Barnes gave him a wide berth once more. He dribbled twice, then made a diagonal pass to Terry. Terry dribbled and immediately drove to the basket, but was blocked by the Bobcats' help defense.

Helpless, he could only turn around and pass the ball to Butler. Butler gestured and then dribbled from the baseline to the basket, but he didn't have the courage to challenge Yao Ming. He passed the ball again to Marion on the wing.

But Boozer's defense was excellent. Even in his prime, Marion didn't have much one-on-one ability, let alone now. He passed the ball back to James at the top of the key.

After James got the ball, he still didn't attack. Instead, he bounced the ball off the ground and passed it to Nowitzki, who had finally gotten into position under the basket.

Unfortunately, after Nowitzki received the ball, there was very little time left before the shot clock expired. He could only manage a forced turn and shot, and under Yao Ming's height pressure, his shot went wildly off target and bounced off the rim.

"Fuck! Shoot!" Johnson spread his hands on the sidelines, completely helpless.

Boozer grabbed the rebound and quickly passed it to Rose. Rose took the ball and launched another counterattack. This time, he charged forward relentlessly, his eyes fixed on the basket, like a first-person soldier charging into battle. He drove all the way to the basket, then sprang up and slammed the ball heavily into the rim!
"boom!"

After a loud bang, the gap between the two sides had narrowed to 5 points! (End of Chapter)