NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

In the first half of the first quarter, the two teams were evenly matched, but inexplicably, in the second half of the first quarter, the Mavericks stopped scoring, and the Bobcats began to pull away!
How amazing was the Bobcats' lead this time?

So strangely, even Lin Tian himself felt it was metaphysics and couldn't explain why!
The turning point of the game was when James started to control the ball again, playing his favorite one-star-four-shooter offense.

In several consecutive offensive possessions, James made the most rational and correct choices: either finding open teammates or having open shots or driving to the basket himself.

The opposing Bobcats, on the other hand, launched several attacks that were unreasonable and lacked any strategy.

Despite this, the Bobcats actually pulled away!
Where can I seek justice? There's nowhere to seek justice!

Even the Mavericks players didn't do anything wrong.

Every offensive play they make is a textbook example of tactical coordination or a top-tier individual one-on-one attack in the league, but they just can't score; they keep missing shots!
In the first half of the first quarter, the Mavericks and Bobcats were tied at 15-15!

However, in the second half, after James took over the ball, the score went from 15 to 4!

In the latter part of the first quarter, the Mavericks made only 2 of 11 shots and scored just 4 points!
Of those nine missed shots, at least half were those clear-cut chances that no one could hit.

The Bobcats, on the other hand, had the opposite situation. They scored the same number of points in both halves of the first quarter: 15!
In stark contrast to the Mavericks, the Bobcats played quite unpredictably in the latter part of the first quarter.

They seemed to relax completely after seeing how James was doing so poorly.

Various unreasonable shots and reckless one-on-one attacks that disregarded tactics were going wrong. Lin Tian, ​​watching from the sidelines, wanted to stand up and stop the players from continuing to play like this several times. But just as he stood up to call a timeout, the ball went in.

What can Lin Tian do then?
The players kept scoring, so he called a timeout to tell them to stop, saying that scoring like this didn't fit the tactics or the team's pre-match plan.
Even Lin Tian isn't this crazy!
After the first quarter, the score difference between the two teams had exceeded 10 points!

30: 19!

But even though the team was leading by 11 points, this was the first time Lin Tian felt he had lost control of the team.

They didn't play according to his instructions, but they kept scoring!
At this moment, Lin Tian once again felt the power of the Heavenly Dao in the darkness!

God let us win, let us keep scoring, that's why we kept scoring!
Besides this, Lin Tian couldn't explain why the second half of the first quarter turned out this way.

"Be careful! Don't let your guard down. That kind of situation from the first quarter can't keep happening! We can't keep hitting those miraculous shots, and the Mavericks' tactical approach can't keep missing!"

"I rarely say this, but it doesn't make sense!"

Lin Tian glanced at the players, who were clearly a little smug because the first quarter had gone so smoothly, and made up his mind.

In the second quarter, he wanted to put the players who didn't play in the first quarter back in.

At this point, only players who haven't personally experienced the feeling of being favored by the miraculous forces of fate can still play with a normal mindset.

Otherwise, if we bring on the main players, who knows how many mistakes they'll make!
Lin Tian knew very well: pride comes before a fall!

"Jeremy, Landry, Matt, Marvin, and Lamar, the five of you go!"

"They didn't rest James or Heywood in the first quarter, so they'll definitely have to bring in a big man to take over next. After all, Nowitzki needs someone to help him at center, instead of having to play power forward all the time!"

"In the second quarter, the starting lineup will definitely be Haywood, Nowitzki, Terry, and the other two! You have to be careful, watch out for their resurgence! The situation in the second half of the first quarter was abnormal! Quite abnormal!"

"You all better watch out, understand?"

"understand!"

The five substitute players that Lin Tian mentioned all came on together at the start of the second quarter, and Lin Tian had basically guessed correctly about the Mavericks' side as well, all three of the players he mentioned appeared! The other two were Barea and Peja.

The Mavericks' roster remains quite conservative and traditional.

Well, that's not hard to predict. After all, they played so badly in the second half of the first quarter. If they don't quickly figure out how to get back on track and get everyone's spirits up again in the second quarter, then the game is really over!
As the players from both teams stepped onto the court, everyone's attention was once again focused on the game. However, Lin Tian noticed James sitting near the back of the Mavericks' bench!

At this moment, James was nowhere to be seen with his pre-game high spirits and his previous fierce and powerful presence.

This guy had covered his head with a towel and wasn't saying a word to anyone around him or having any contact with anyone.

Looking at James's broken state, Lin Tian felt a little sorry for him.

Dude, you're in trouble!
James didn't make a single mistake in the first quarter! Lin Tian saw every single one of his passes!

At the start of the game, James seemed to have finally made peace with himself and gotten out of his predicament.

He at least appears confident, and he is indeed one of the league's top passers. His passes are flawless, with perfect angle, speed, and timing. Then his teammates shoot, and then, of course, comes the fancy shot-missing show.

If it were just his teammates constantly missing shots, that would be one thing, but even James himself missed several layups and even dunks that he was determined to win!

Anyone would be completely bewildered.

James had such an 'excellent' yet 'failed' quarter; he's really about to break down.

I made all the right choices, so why couldn't we score a single goal?

Why are all my teammates open, but none of them can score?
Is it really as Lin said, that they don't treat me as a teammate? That they only care about Dirk? That my assists here aren't even as valuable as Dirk's? Am I just a Pippen?
Will I never get respect here? Is everything I win thanks to Dirk? Even though I try my best, why am I still so bad? Why can't I make my shots? Why do my dunks always go awry?
.........

If James just now was finally able to regain his confidence after many days of self-reflection and motivational speeches from his coach, and wanted to use his abilities to change the status quo and prove that he was not an accessory or Pippen, but LeBron James.

At this moment, James is truly and utterly broken.

He felt that even God didn't want him to prove himself; God wanted him to stay away and make Nowitzki a success.

Sitting on the bench, James fell silent for a while, once again grappling with self-doubt, while the situation on the court changed again. Simply put, everyone was back to normal!
He no longer plays too carelessly, which leads to mistakes, and he no longer makes reckless shots.

In short, with more teamwork and less individual play on the court, the game became more reasonable again, and both coaches breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.

After all, the second half of the first quarter was a bit scary, so it would be great if things could return to normal!
Both teams' key players on the court took turns exerting their efforts, with Nowitzki, who was eager to catch up, repeatedly calling for the ball in the low post and scoring for his team.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Lin on the Bobcats side has rediscovered some of the rhythm he had during the "Linsanity" period six months ago.

He drove to the basket and scored a 2+1 play, and hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer from beyond the arc!
Those two goals were basically enough to keep the team in a 10-point lead for the first few minutes of the second quarter!
With three minutes left in the second quarter, Nowitzki, who had been playing with a fierce intensity and had scored six consecutive points in the second quarter, stepped up again. The German machine received the ball at 45-degree angles on both sides and fired three-pointers in two consecutive possessions, scoring twice!

With those two fierce three-pointers, the Mavericks narrowed the gap to 5 points in the blink of an eye!
Just then, Lin Tian called for a pause again with perfect timing.

He needs to disrupt the Mavericks' rhythm; he can't let them keep closing the gap like this!

"Yao, Carlos, it's your turn to come on!" Lin Tian pointed to the two big men and told them to position themselves inside and wait for opportunities to attack one-on-one, continuing to exploit the Mavericks' weak interior defense, especially their lack of inside defensive ability.

"Derrick, do some more on the sidelines, conserve your energy, no rush!"

On the court, Yao Ming was matched up against Haywood, while Boozer was matched up against Nowitzki. After thinking for a moment, Lin Tian shouted, "Carlos, go to the high post and play some high-low post plays with Yao!"

After this reminder, the Bobcats' execution was immediately demonstrated. Boozer first set a screen for Jeremy Lin at the top of the key, then immediately turned to the wing and received the ball from Lin.

After receiving the ball, Boozer feinted, and seeing that Nowitzki, who was defending him, didn't fall for it and didn't stick to him too closely, he stopped holding onto the ball and immediately passed it to Yao Ming. He also took a half step back without making a sound, waiting for an opportunity.

Yao Ming, with his back to the basket, observed the situation for a moment before suddenly dribbling towards the inside and making a strong push. Just when everyone thought Yao Ming was going to do it again, he suddenly pushed the ball out to the perimeter.

This push completely ruined Nowitzki's previous move. He had intended to double-team, but now he was left out, as the ball ended up in Boozer's hands.

Boozer immediately set up his signature crooked-handle machine gun and made a mid-range shot!
With this basket, the Bobcats immediately gained a breather, and the point difference widened to 7 points again!
When we score on offense, we have more energy and drive when we turn to defend!

This is a common characteristic of most players, and Boozer is no exception.

After scoring against Nowitzki, Boozer immediately clung to him on defense, sticking to him tightly. Even when Nowitzki received the ball, Boozer would immediately press down on him, not giving Nowitzki a chance to make a move.

"Get out of here! You homosexual!" Even the usually good-tempered Nowitzki couldn't hold back and cursed directly. It was clear that Boozer was really going to stick his tongue out at Nowitzki. Faced with Nowitzki's provocation, Boozer naturally acted as if he hadn't heard it.

He even pressed even closer! Come on, do it, let's see if they call an offensive foul!

Left with no other option, Nowitzki could only turn around and take a half step back. At the same time, he raised one leg, drew a circle on the spot, and then put it down again. This drawing and circling was a barely acceptable way to deal with Boozer's defensive tactic of almost sitting on his lap.

But Boozer remained glued to Nowitzki's body like a plaster.

Despite Nowitzki being so tightly guarded, and even though this was the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, the referee still didn't blow the whistle!

The extreme rigor of the officiating in the decisive game of the finals was evident!
The finals are entirely up to the players! Your abilities and the quality of your performance depend entirely on yourselves!
The referee has completely taken a backseat, becoming an auxiliary figure in this match!

A smart referee would never try to steal the spotlight or cause trouble for themselves at such a moment.

For a match with over 3000 million viewers in North America and possibly hundreds of millions worldwide, the referee would have to be crazy to steal the spotlight and force himself out of the frame.

What if fans in states where guns aren't banned see a call they're unhappy with and volunteer to stand up for their favorite player—the kind of standing up that will finally settle things once and for all…

Ugh, just thinking about it makes me shudder!
Fortunately, after playing in the NBA for so many years, Nowitzki is already used to the referees' standards and style. When he first came, it was even worse! There were even times when he was bleeding from the punches, but the referees just turned a blind eye.

So when he saw that the referee wasn't going to blow the whistle, Nowitzki stopped protesting or shrugging; he knew it was pointless!
That would only make the referees and fans look down on him.

The most important thing now is to score this goal and maintain the momentum of our comeback!

As for Boozer's defensive actions, if necessary, Nowitzki will definitely make him pay the same price! Does he really think that just because I'm European, I'm easy to bully?

Nowitzki suddenly dropped the smile that had been on his face, and then slammed his elbow down, hitting Boozer, who was caught off guard and pressed tightly against him, in the chest.

The two were so close that Nowitzki didn't even need to do anything to make Boozer breathless for a long time!

After scoring with an elbow, Nowitzki immediately turned and retreated, finally managing to create distance. He touched the ground with his left foot and lifted his right foot off the ground, executing his signature one-legged fadeaway jumper!

"Shh!"

Another crisp sound rang out, and this time Nowitzki was on fire, hitting shot after shot!
Boozer, of course, wouldn't just sit idly by. After being elbowed in the chest, he immediately rolled over and ran towards the three-second zone on the opposite side.

This guy's run was quite sudden, fast, and with a clear target. By the time Nowitzki reacted and caught up with him, Boozer had already positioned himself close to the 3-second zone!

The main point is to go deep and be ruthless!

Moreover, Boozer is more ruthless than Nowitzki. Didn't Nowitzki only use his elbow after he got the ball?

Boozer immediately delivered an elbow strike! Taking advantage of the precious moment when the two players were pressed tightly together and in the referee's blind spot, Boozer suddenly thrust his elbow backward, hitting Nowitzki directly on the valve, almost causing him to choke.

Boozer seized the opportunity to turn and sprint, running out of the 3-second zone.

Jeremy Lin's pass arrived just in time, and Boozer, with Nowitzki unable to defend him, pulled up for another mid-range jump shot.

"Shh!"

With a crisp crack, the score difference widened once again! (End of Chapter)