NBA: Starting with the undercut by Parker and Bowen

As Yang Lin was saying this, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich unexpectedly walked into the interview room.

In an instant, everyone looked over with strange expressions.

Are you doing the interview together? Maybe you should separate!

Yang Lin awkwardly touched his nose.

Although he had a clear conscience, he still ended up injuring two players.

I still feel a little embarrassed talking about other people's crickets behind their backs.

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Popovich, with a serious expression, walked straight to an empty interview table without saying a word.

He did not hear Yang Lin's reply.

But the Spurs lost today, and also lost two key players, so he was naturally not in a good mood.

After sitting down, Popovich asked bluntly, "Any questions? If not, I'm leaving."

Haha~~

Leave? Where to?

Taking advantage of someone's misfortune is a specialty of journalists.

The Spurs are disliked, Popovich is disliked, and the injured Bruce Bowen is even less popular.

It's time to rub salt into Popovich's wounds.

The reporters all felt sorry for themselves and for Yang Lin, who had created such an opportunity for them.

"Coach Popovich, Young just said he feels wronged, and perhaps only you and Bruce can understand his feelings right now. What do you think?"

"What? You feel wronged?"

Popovich was stunned by what he heard, and couldn't believe it. He tilted his head and looked at Yang Lin not far away.

Through his gaze, Yang Lin could clearly sense that if murder were not illegal, this old man would definitely take a gun and shoot himself.

With a forced smile, Yang Lin explained, "Through the video replay, everyone should understand that the accident that happened on the field was actually not my fault. I did not make any malicious moves."

"As a player, I hope that no one, whether a teammate or an opponent, will get injured."

Yang Lin's statement was agreed upon by everyone present, including Popovich.

Although Yang Lin was involved in both of the accidents that occurred on the court today, he was not the one who caused the injuries.

"But I know most people won't watch the video. When they see the news, they'll immediately assume I'm the villain and that I caused Tony and Bruce's accident."

"Even if some people watch the video, they will suspect that I am malicious, but I just haven't been caught."

"Ultimately, in terms of the result, Tony and Bruce got injured, which benefited our team. People don't care about the truth; they only want to believe what they think."

Just as everyone was about to nod in agreement with Yang Lin's point of view.

He changed his tone, "So I feel wronged. As far as I know, Bruce has also faced public scrutiny because of similar incidents."

"He defended himself, and Coach Greg also defended him, but everyone seemed..."

"Oh! They must have felt so wronged back then. I can now understand the grievances they felt."

"Pfft~~ Haha~~~"

"Giggle~~~"

"..."

Everyone was amused by Yang Lin's unexpected turn of events, and the interview room was filled with laughter.

You may feel wronged, but those two guys in San Antonio are not wronged in the slightest.

They wouldn't feel any sadness about it.

Hearing Yang Lin's sarcastic remarks, Popovich's eyes were filled with anger.

This little brat has some nerve!

We haven't even fired a shot at him yet! And he actually came knocking on our door.

However, two key players were injured and were currently undergoing examinations at the hospital. Popovich was anxious but didn't really want to engage in a war of words.

"Ahem~~"

Clearing his throat, Popovich said, "I agree with you. Indeed, prejudice in people's hearts is a mountain. They view other people's surprises with malice."

"I know the grievances Bruce suffered; he's a grown man, and he couldn't help but shed tears because of them."

"Gulp~~" Someone in the scene swallowed hard.

There's no way around it! It's too shocking!

Is this the most sophisticated form of shamelessness?

The people present were all reporters, and they thought they were shameless enough.

They are adept at lying and distorting others' meanings.

But unexpectedly, there are masters of shamelessness here.

Yang Lin's lips twitched, and he was somewhat speechless.

Finally, he gritted his teeth, stood up, and raised his right hand upwards.

He solemnly proclaimed, "I, Yang Lin, hereby swear that the two unexpected incidents on the field today were entirely without malice. If I harbored even the slightest malice in my heart, may I descend to the eighteenth level of hell after death, and may Heaven bear witness."

Wow~~ Are we playing this big?

The reporters felt a chill around them.

After making the oath, Yang Lin sat down, slumped his shoulders, and said, "To prove myself, I am willing to make such a solemn oath. I believe that Bruce and Coach Greg are also willing to swear to God to prove themselves."

"They have been slandered more, and I think their oaths will be even more weighty."

"For example, if someone harbors malicious intent, they might be tripped up and never be able to stand up again, be hit by a car and die when they go out, or choke to death while drinking water, etc."

shuh~~

The reporters immediately looked at Popovich standing next to them.

Fuck~~

Popovich opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

He is shameless, but his shamelessness is directed at others.

He swore an oath to God, but he didn't want to gamble on what if God took it seriously?

Pretending not to hear Yang Lin's words, Popovich stood up and said, "Since no one has any questions, I'll be leaving now."

"As you can understand, I'm eager to know about Tony and Bruce's injuries."

After saying that, without waiting for anyone's response, he hurriedly walked towards the door.

"Haha~~"

Behind Popovich, bursts of laughter echoed from the interview room.

Shortly after, news came out about Parker and Bowen's injury examinations: Parker had sprained his ankle and was expected to recover in at least ten days;

Bowen suffered a severe ankle fracture, and his return date is uncertain.

The following day, various NBA stars shared their opinions on Yang Lin's injury to two players in a single game.

I'm very saddened by Tony Parker's injury and hope he recovers quickly. I watched the game, and the accident had nothing to do with Young; the culprit was Robert Horry.

As for Bruce Bowen...

Pfft~~ Haha~~~ Karma! It's all karma.

Ray Allen, during a rare emotional breakdown during a press interview.

Bruce Bowen is aggrieved? Oh! Of course I believe it.

If he can swear on television that he acted maliciously when he stepped on my foot, then God will punish him so that he can never stand up again.

As long as he swears, I will believe him and forgive him for the hurt he caused me.

Vince Carter went on a big shopping spree, possibly to celebrate with a party.

Was Bowen tripped up?

Haha~~ Is he dead? Not dead? Bad review.

—Amar'e Stoudemire is unhappy that Bowen is still alive.

......

Despite the outside world's commotion, none of it disturbed the Utah Jazz.

The score was tied by a large margin, but the opponent was missing two key players due to injury.

Whether it's the players or the coaches, everyone is smart enough to understand that this is another chance for the Utah Jazz to reach the NBA Finals.

Yang Lin did the same, actively engaging in training.

He needs to recharge with two sure-fire three-pointers. There's only one day of rest between Games 4 and 5, and they also have to travel from Salt Lake City to San Antonio in between.

Time is of the essence; we must race against time.

May 28, 2007, San Antonio, Texas.

AT&T Center.

When the Jazz players entered the arena, they could clearly feel that the boos from the home fans were far greater than during their previous two visits.

Also!

The Spurs have won three championships in the past few years and are a strong team in the league.

What kind of trash are you, Utah Jazz? You were just lucky to be upset by the eighth seed this year and by sheer chance you made it to the Western Conference Finals.

Don't you know your own capabilities?

They are someone that San Antonio fans should be wary of.

But things are different now.

The score was tied, and two key players were injured.

The San Antonio fans were naturally outraged.

You not only hurt my people, but you also tried to steal my spot in the finals. Boos are being polite; calling you a son of a bitch is perfectly normal.

Sure enough, when Yang Lin came on stage, the stadium was filled with boos and curses.

Although the video is very clear, Parker and Bowen's injuries have little to do with Yang Lin.

But San Antonio fans didn't care about any of that; all they knew was that two of their players were injured.

After entering the field, Yang Lin sat silently on the edge of the substitutes' bench.

This shows that this Jazz team is really bad; they have no core players, no veterans in the locker room, and no cohesion whatsoever.

Yang Lin is a rookie, a rookie who can be said to have made a contribution in the game.

After being booed and hurled insults by the home team's fans, there wasn't even anyone to offer comfort or advice.

It's hard to believe this is a team playing in the Western Conference Finals.

With Parker and Bowen injured, the Spurs' strength has been greatly weakened. This is an All-Star, a top-tier 3-and-D player of All-Defensive caliber.

To ensure the starting lineup's firepower, Popovich stopped letting Ginobili bring substitutes and started him directly.

Spurs starting lineup: Duncan, Oberto, Michael Finley, Manu Ginobili, Jacqueline Vaughn;

Jazz starting lineup: Okur, Boozer, Kirilenko, Delon Williams, Fisher.

With Duncan and Ginobili in the starting lineup, the Spurs started strong at home.

Ginobili's breakthrough and Duncan's strong play led to a 23-11 run against the Jazz in just over eight minutes.

Despite grumbling under pressure from a double-digit deficit, Sloan remained remarkably calm.

The other side has already revealed their hand, so what's there to panic about?

Ginobili can't provide firepower all the time; he doesn't have the stamina.

There was no one left on the Spurs' bench.

Who will rotate their shifts?

Could we rely on Robert Horry, who is already 37 years old, or Brent Barry, who is 36?

"Yang, you come on and replace Derek."

Sloan called a timeout and shouted to Yang Lin on the bench.

Yang Lin was somewhat surprised, as his rotation position shouldn't be this high!

The Jazz's primary backup guard is Gordon Giricek, and their promising young guard is Ronnie Brewer, the 14th overall pick in the first round of the 06 draft.

Despite his surprise and doubt, he did not hesitate to act.

He took off his training clothes and immediately ran to the technical table.

Jazz assistant coach Dillon Corbin seemed puzzled by Yang Lin's appearance, asking, "Was Yang's appearance a bit too early?"

"This is a reward; the young man who went up on stage played very well."

Sloan looked at Yang Lin as he entered the court and said with a smile, "He's been doing well in training these past two days. I think he's quite accurate with open three-pointers, which will help us create space."

"Yes! His open three-pointers are really accurate."

Corbin nodded. "Jerry, you know what? I've been watching him for a while these past few days."

"Under normal circumstances, he makes about 91 out of every 100 three-point attempts."

"If he trains his shooting speed, I have no doubt he can win the All-Star three-point title."

"Really?" Sloan asked, somewhat surprised.

While the two were chatting, the Jazz launched an attack.

By stealthily maneuvering, Yang Lin actually managed to get an open space.

With the team trailing by a large margin, Deron immediately passed the ball to Yang Lin when he saw an opportunity.

Before Finley could help defend, Yang Lin quickly launched a three-pointer.

With a crisp "swish!", the basketball swished through the hoop.

Seeing the shot go in, Yang Lin grinned from ear to ear. His first basket today came much more easily than the last one.

"pretty!"

Sloan, standing on the sidelines, gave a compliment and said to Corbin beside him with a smile, "If Yang could be a few centimeters taller, he would be perfect."

"He has a three-point shot and his defense is pretty good too. He's practically our ideal shooting guard."

Corbin rolled his eyes at his boss and said with a sneer, "Height, three-point shooting, defense. This isn't just our ideal shooting guard; this is the ideal shooting guard for most teams."

"That's not bad! After all, he was picked from among the undrafted players."

"Haha~~ You're right."

Sloan shook his head and chuckled, "He's a hero of Salt Lake City. He gave us another chance to step into the Finals."