NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

In any case, Lin Tian believed that from this moment on, this series was over!
The Mavericks won't be able to cause any trouble tonight.

As the warm-up progressed, Lin Tian completely relaxed; all that was missing was bringing him a bed so he could just lie down and sleep on it.

In stark contrast to him was Johnson, who seemed to wish he could change into his own jersey and get on the court, constantly yelling and directing the players on how to warm up.

Johnson is genuinely anxious, at least for now.

He was afraid the team wouldn't make it through.

Especially when he had just asked James what Lin Tian had said to him, and James simply said nothing, a rather bad premonition rose in Johnson's heart.

It’s going to be bad!
Soon, the substitutes from both sides went to the sidelines and sat down, leaving only the 10 starting players standing on the field, waiting for the final start of the game.

The Lynx will certainly not change their starting lineup. Even when Lin Tian was behind, he was unwilling to make changes to the starting lineup, let alone now that the team has a championship point.
The Mavericks continued and further strengthened the adjustments they made in the previous game. In addition to removing Stevenson and starting Terry at shooting guard, they also replaced Haywood with Marion!

This lineup change made the Mavericks shorter and eliminated their true center, but it also greatly enhanced their offensive power, speed, and shooting ability!

"The Mavericks are going all in! They've brought out their strongest offensive lineup right from the start, the lineup they usually use to close out games. Let's see if this brand-new lineup can win the game!"

Upon seeing the Mavericks make two changes to their starting lineup, Miller quickly analyzed the situation: "Obviously, the Mavericks are going to seize the initiative from the start, and they're going to do everything they can to keep the game firmly in their hands!"

"Tonight's match will definitely be a fierce and relentless back-and-forth from the very beginning!"

"An offensive battle?" Lin Tian looked at the lineups of both sides on the court and smiled with satisfaction once again.

The Mavericks' lineup change was exactly what he expected!
You want to play an offensive game, you want to race fast and score points, but I'm not going to compete with you!
The advantage of using the ultimate lineup is that it can maximize the strengths and characteristics of the lineup, but the disadvantages are also quite obvious: the weaknesses are also maximized.

What Lin Tian needs to do now is to find the Mavericks' weaknesses!
"Dudu!"

With a whistle from the referee, the basketball was tossed into the air, and Yao Ming once again defeated Nowitzki, securing the first possession for his team for the sixth consecutive time in this series!

However, this time when Rose got the basketball, he didn't immediately accelerate and drive to the basket like before.

He even stood still for a while, signaling to everyone not to rush and to take their time, before dribbling the ball to the frontcourt.

Yes, Rose walked over!

Then, Rose directed his teammates to take their positions while making a crossover pass to DeRozan. DeRozan immediately dunked the ball towards the inside. Yao Ming, who had the upper hand in the confrontation with Nowitzki, got the ball and prepared to back down Nowitzki!
Although Nowitzki is tall enough at 213 cm, and his weight, strength and physique are also quite good, he at least looks like he could become a defensive expert!

However, he plays like a standard defender, and his defense is practically non-existent. Occasionally, when dealing with smaller players like Karami, he can put on some impressive defensive performances when defending the opponent's weakest point.

But when facing a star-level center like Yao Ming, Nowitzki is no match!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

After receiving the ball, Yao Ming changed his previous style of playing casually. He drove into the paint over Nowitzki, then easily created space with two consecutive spin moves, and banked the ball into the basket!
"The Bobcats are going to start with Nowitzki tonight!" Jackson immediately saw through the Bobcats' tactics: "The Mavericks' lineup is certainly fine offensively, but their defense is a huge problem."

"Although Marion and James are both top defenders, Marion's weakness is that he can't handle a pure inside player. He gets completely outmaneuvered by Boozer and there's nothing he can do about it! If he plays the power forward position and matches up against Boozer, and it's a slow half-court game, then he really has a hard time gaining an advantage."

"The same goes for James. He is better at help defense and chase-down blocks than one-on-one defense. James' one-on-one perimeter defense has always been just so-so, but if you put him in a very weak opponent to match up with."

"Then James can immediately unleash his full potential and run the entire court, using his exceptional instincts in help defense and rotations to disrupt the opponent's passing, layups, or directly cut off their driving lanes!"

"LeBron James is at his best when he's helping on defense!"

"But that requires James to be fully committed to the game. Can James be fully committed and give 100% tonight?"

As Jackson was analyzing the situation, the Mavericks' offense had already reached the frontcourt, with Terry having already taken over from James as the Mavericks' ball handler in the previous game.

Terry's ball control ability is undeniable. He was once the top scorer and number one attacker for a lottery team, although he did a terrible job. But his ball control ability is definitely not bad!
His biggest weakness is his passing! That's why his head coaches prefer to have him play the shooting guard position rather than the point guard position.

He's even more powerful when he receives the ball at the shooting guard position and is focused solely on shooting!
But now that James is no longer reliable, the only player Dallas can look forward to is Terry!
After arriving at the frontcourt, Terry called a screen, and Nowitzki screened Rose. He then pulled up and threw out a three-pointer, ignoring Boozer's rush.
This guy's shooting style, like his passing style, is quite unpredictable and unreasonable!

But then a loud 'whoosh' was heard!
Terry's three-pointer after a screen went in perfectly, giving the Mavericks a very good start!
Meanwhile, the Mavericks' possession lasted less than 10 seconds in total. It was Terry pushing the ball up the court, asking for a screen, and then pulling up for a shot – his signature style.

"If this 'grab and throw' style of play can be accurate throughout the entire game," Miller analyzed immediately after Terry scored, "then the Mavericks will win."

"You're talking so much nonsense these days!" Jackson couldn't help but scold. "If Terry is this accurate the whole game, the Mavericks could have made 50 three-pointers tonight and scored at least 150 points, right?"

"Of course not!" Miller tried to salvage the situation, saying, "Although Terry's shot looked like a random throw, it was completely in his rhythm. That's how he always plays, so it's perfectly normal for him to make one! This isn't some nonsense you're spouting about making 50 three-pointers in a game."

"What I mean is, if he stays in form and in this pattern all night, then the Mavericks really have a chance."

"Honestly, instead of expecting the Mavericks to be this accurate all game, you should be hoping for something else that's more likely to happen!" Jackson said. "Like the tempo! The most important thing for the Mavericks right now is to get the tempo going and make the Bobcats run with them!"

"The biggest advantage of the Mavericks' lineup is their ability to run and play! If they go into half-court sets, their defensive weaknesses will be amplified! And just by looking at Rose's play in the first two possessions, you'll definitely understand what Lin Tian's initial tactics are all about."

"For two consecutive possessions, they slowed down the pace and played a half-court game. The Bobcats' favorite fast breaks and transition offense and defense from the previous few games are no longer being used!" "Lin has clearly guessed the Mavericks' style of play and their choice in the clutch, so he has the team slow down and make use of their inside advantage!"

"Whether it's Yao Ming versus Nowitzki, or Boozer versus Marion, both of them have a clear advantage in the low post and on the offensive end!"

As Jackson said, after Rose assisted Yao Ming to score under the basket in the first possession, he immediately found Boozer in the second possession and had Boozer sit on Marion in the low post. The result was the same, with Boozer scoring 2 points under the basket!
Returning to the Mavericks' offense, Terry didn't initiate a pick-and-roll this time. Instead, he dribbled against Rose for a while, then suddenly accelerated and passed the ball to Marion next to him.

This pass demonstrates why many people criticize Terry's passing ability.

Marion's three-point shooting percentage has dropped to 26% this season, making him unsuitable for any three-point shooting. However, Terry happens to pass the ball to Marion when he drives to the basket. Considering that Marion's ball-handling and driving ability is probably not as good as his three-point ability, he actually only has one option: to pass the ball out again.

This means that Terry's move was a complete waste of time, and the team will have to reorganize!

This time, however, Marion finally passed the ball to James!

In the first two possessions, this was the first time James had ever touched the ball!
But the time he held the ball wasn't long enough. The moment he got the ball, James passed it out again, finding Nowitzki in the mid-range. Nowitzki received the ball, made a contact, stepped back, and unleashed his signature one-legged fadeaway jumper once more.

"Shh!"

With a crisp sound, Nowitzki's shot went in!
The best news for the Mavericks tonight is that Nowitzki and Terry were both in good form, each scoring a basket, which kept their offense going.

The bad news is, the Bobcats aren't following them at all!
Rose once again signaled to his teammates not to rush when inbounding the ball from the baseline, to slowly retrieve the ball, hand it to the referee, and then slowly roll it back to Rose. The whole process was all about taking it easy.

The Bobcats are currently in control and they're not in a hurry at all!
Then, Rose seemed to be showing off the team's arsenal. After letting the two big men take turns attacking in the first two possessions, Rose quickly called for a screen from Yao Ming. He then squeezed past Yao Ming and drove rapidly to the basket, successfully drawing Nowitzki's defensive attention.

Then the basketball in Rose's hand immediately flew towards the back of Nowitzki's head.

Out of reach.

Nowitzki stretched out his arm to try and intercept the ball, but he wasn't tall enough, so he could only grunt in frustration. Then he heard a loud bang behind him!
Rose found a teammate cutting to the basket during his drive and successfully passed the ball to assist his teammate for another 2 points!
In the early stages of the game, both sides were evenly matched, with goals coming one after another!
Then, the efficiency of both sides began to decline, and negative data such as missed shots and mistakes began to appear.

Even so, both sides stuck to their initial strategies and continued playing their own style of play.

The Bobcats are slow; they take their time and wear you down in positional warfare.

At the same time, they used their twin towers as the core to bully the Mavericks' small lineup, constantly showcasing their diverse tactics and endless combinations in positional warfare.

Less than six minutes into the game, all five Bobcats starters had scored and dished out five assists!
This data is enough to show how comfortable and relaxed the Bobcats are playing right now, and it also shows their selflessness and fairness!

Most importantly, even though they seemed to be playing a preseason game completely relaxed, they didn't make a single mistake halfway through the first quarter!
Although the style was free and easy, and even had a bit of showing off, the Lynx team maintained a very high level of teamwork and cohesion!

We're not only sexy, but we're sexy in a very safe way!

Anyone familiar with basketball knows that the Bobcats' style of play is usually only used when the team's strength completely overwhelms the opponent, and the two sides are not on the same level at all.

On a local basketball court, this style of play can easily provoke the opponent to anger and lead to conflict!
Although the Mavericks' playing style is completely different, the results are somewhat similar.

If the Bobcats play complicated, acrobatic basketball, using constant teamwork and passing to provoke their opponents, and employing complex tactics and flashy play to anger the Mavericks, then the Mavericks play simple basketball.

Many of their offensive plays involve coming up to the frontcourt, setting a screen, and then shooting directly; or setting a screen and then passing the ball to a teammate, who then shoots; or driving and passing the ball to a teammate, who then shoots directly.

In the first half of the game, the Mavericks made fewer passes per possession than they made turnovers and missed shots!

The Mavericks' style of play can easily make opponents anxious, especially when they're shooting accurately.

You always score in the simplest and most direct way, which only happens in those dominant games.

To use a similar analogy, if it were on a basketball court, this style of play would easily make the opponent feel powerless, causing them to give up and feel helpless.

If I can't even defend against your simplest tactics, then what's the point of fighting?

"These two teams are playing completely opposite, extreme offensive styles, and their efficiency is currently about the same!" Miller said immediately when the two teams entered the official timeout. "But how should I put it? This game, at least so far, gives people a very strange feeling!"

"But I can't describe that feeling!"

“It’s very simple,” Jackson said. “Because if you look at them separately, it seems that both sides can dominate the opponent on offense, and both sides can completely outplay and outmaneuver the opponent on offense.”

"A match where the opponent is completely outmatched looks strange, because you can't tell who has the upper hand or who controls the game. It's so disjointed! The disjointedness is just too strong!"

When the two commentators were analyzing the situation of the game, the score was tied, with the first half of the game ending at 15-15!

"Well done! Keep it up. Let's continue with this style of play. The Mavericks' approach is to rely on their shooting touch and accuracy. They've already achieved a shooting percentage close to 60% in the first half of the quarter. Their efficiency will definitely drop, and they'll definitely start missing shots!"

"When that time comes, we'll launch a full-scale attack and finish the game in one fell swoop!" Lin Tian didn't say much during the timeout, since the game was entirely as expected and there wasn't much to mention.

Lin Tian didn't make any adjustments and immediately sent his players onto the field to continue the game! (End of Chapter)