NBA: Starting with the undercut by Parker and Bowen

Since drafting Tim Duncan with the first overall pick in 97, the Spurs have consistently been a championship contender in the league.

Except for the 00-01 season, when the OK duo dominated the league and the Spurs were swept in the Western Conference Finals.

They won the championship in all odd-numbered years: 99, 03, and 05.

Now that it's an odd-numbered year again, the Spurs are still a strong team.

In the first two rounds, the Mavericks were upset by the eighth seed, and the Suns were eliminated by the Spurs.

Of the three remaining teams in the East and West divisions, the Jazz are a newly formed and inexperienced team, the Cavaliers have a limited tactical approach, and only the Pistons still pose a threat.

Unfortunately, after Ben Wallace left, the Pistons failed to strengthen their roster, and their strength declined year by year.

From the perspective of Spurs fans, or rather, those who understand basketball.

This year's championship, which is an odd-numbered year, will likely fall into the hands of the San Antonio Spurs once again, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

But that's often how things are.

The unexpected appearance of Yang Lin caused the Spurs to suffer an unexpected setback, as expected.

This year's Spurs are a team of three and a half men: the GDP trio plus Bowen.

Duncan was the pillar of both offense and defense, Parker provided regular firepower, Ginobili was the deadliest scorer, and Bowen directly confronted the opponent's strong perimeter players.

With these four players, the Spurs would be unbeatable if paired with any other players.

In the previous game, Yang Lin sent away two of the four players from the Spurs' lineup, leaving the team short-handed.

In the regular season and the previous two rounds of playoffs, other Spurs players naturally had their moments of brilliance, but those were all built on the foundation of the four-man lineup.

Sure enough, at the end of the first quarter, it was time for the rotation.

Spurs' star player Tim Duncan went to the bench for a rest.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Boozer, who stayed on the court to lead the substitutes, repeatedly attacked the inside, contributing a 7-2 run on his own.

With Yang Lin's three-pointer after entering the game, the Jazz led 21-27 at the end of the first quarter, bringing their deficit back to single digits.

To Yang Lin's surprise, after the start of the second quarter, Coach Lou Sloan did not substitute Fisher into the game.

The Jazz's starting lineup, consisting of Okur and Kirilenko, along with Paul Millsap, Gordon Gilceyk, and Young Lin, faced the Spurs' lineup of Duncan, Finley, Horry, Barry, and Beno Udrih.

It wasn't easy; as a point guard, he finally gained control of the game.

The Jazz don't have a dominant offensive weapon on the court, so they have to rely on their last resort tactics.

Yang Lin dribbles the ball and sets a pick-and-roll with Millsap, while the others prepare to receive the pass.

Millsap, 17th overall pick in the second round of the 06 NBA draft;

Yang Lin. Undrafted in 06.

Who would have thought that these two would one day dominate a team's offense in the Western Conference Finals?

After a pick-and-roll, Yang Lin drew a foul from Udrih and was awarded two free throws.

As he stepped to the free-throw line, San Antonio fans chanted:

"Butcher~~Butcher~~".

Standing at the backboard, Horry bared his teeth and yelled at him, "Rookie, did you hear that? You're a butcher."

Upon hearing this, Yang Lin curled his lip and said disdainfully, "Old bird, you should retire after this season. Besides injuring people, you're of no use on the court at all."

"Do you dare go to Phoenix now? I guarantee that the moment you show up, the fans there will shoot you in the head."

"Haha~~" Horry said, feigning nonchalance.

"Do you think the San Antonio fans don't want to shoot you? Do you dare show up in San Antonio alone?"

Yang Lin received the basketball thrown by the referee, remained unaffected by external influences, confidently took the free throw, and successfully scored.

After scoring, Yang Lin laughed and said, "If the San Antonio fans want to attack me, it just shows they can't distinguish right from wrong. I feel sorry for Tony and Bruce's injuries."

"But I have no guilt. I swear to God, I had no ill intentions, and the main responsibility does not lie with me. Robert, what about you?"

"Can you swear to God that you did nothing malicious in hurting Steve Nash? May anyone who lies die."

"Whoosh~~"

After making both free throws, Yang Lin looked at Horry with a mocking expression.

Upon hearing Yang Ze's words, Huo Li shut up, his expression strange.

Would he dare to swear an oath? Of course not.

Who would dare to joke about the lives of their entire family?

He certainly understood that God could not punish him, but he couldn't get over his own conscience.

"Robert, focus."

Seeing his teammate overthinking, Duncan couldn't help but remind him, "He's trying to disrupt your rhythm."

At this moment, Yang Lin was like a mad dog, biting anyone he saw.

As he retreated to defend, he loudly mocked, "Yo yo yo~~, isn't this our honest Tim? Tsk tsk~~ Even though my teammates frequently injure people, none of this concerns me."

"Even though my opponent was completely injured, I won by virtue of my strength. I have a clear conscience about my victory."

A hint of surprise appeared on Daidai's face, who had been expressionless the whole time.

But soon, he resumed his blank expression.

A psychology master's degree? Are you kidding me?

It's not that easy to break through its defenses.

However, though his facial expression remained unchanged, his inner thoughts were ultimately stirred.

No one wants their honor to be questioned or tarnished, and Tim Duncan is no exception.

Perhaps it was to prove something, or perhaps the team genuinely needed it.

For the next period of time, Duncan repeatedly called for the ball and went one-on-one, causing chaos in the Jazz's interior, and rookie Millsap committed a series of fouls.

It must be admitted that, apart from Coach Ma Jian, most fans generally agree that the greatest power forward in history has some merit.

Especially those erasers.

It lacked the domineering presence of Shaq's dunks, the agility of Olajuwon's dazzling footwork, and was even less memorable than the roar following a tough jump shot by the tough guy.

But these simple bank shots have left many defenders in the league feeling helpless.

Yang Lin just complained, "Daidai, why are you looking at me after you scored?"

provocative?

Happy.

I'm just a lowly defender, it's not like I'm the one guarding you, so what does your goal have to do with me?

Millsap is a noob, Boozer is a noob.

Look at my defense. Has Jacqueline Vaughn ever scored a single point against me?

Millsap, Boozer: ? ? ? I'll *** you ***.

Despite Duncan's continued contributions in the second quarter, which made Yang Lin realize the strength of the greatest power forward in history.

However, the teammates did not provide enough support, allowing the Spurs' lead in the first quarter to be gradually eroded.

In the second quarter, the visiting Utah Jazz responded with a 27-21 run against the Spurs. At halftime, the score was tied at 48-48.

A draw at halftime is clearly a disadvantage for the home team, the Spurs.

They are missing two key players, making it difficult for them to sustain the game for long. If the suspense of the game drags on until the end, Duncan and Ginobili's stamina will definitely be a major problem.

At the start of the third quarter, the Spurs went all out on offense and defense again, hoping to replicate their early lead and gain a certain advantage.

This time, however, the Jazz were prepared and prevented the Spurs' plan from taking shape.

Although the Spurs held a certain advantage on the court thanks to the individual abilities of Duncan and Ginobili.

However, they were unable to extend their lead to more than 5 points.

Do it all at once, second time tired, third time exhausted.

In the final quarter, Duncan and Ginobili's stamina clearly declined, and their offense and defense became sluggish.

Their strength is exhausted while ours is abundant.

With a younger and more complete roster, the Jazz pulled away and extended their lead.

With a crisp "swish!", the net flew through the air.

With just over three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Yang Lin, who was still on the court with Sloan, successfully hit his fifth three-pointer of the game.

The visiting Jazz have extended their lead to double digits, 96-85.

After hitting the three-pointer, Yang Lin put his hands together on the right side of his head, mimicking the celebration gesture of a future elementary school student.

He called out to Popovich on the sidelines, "Greg, the game is over! You can go home and get some sleep."

He then continued his celebration as he ran back along the sideline, shouting to the San Antonio fans on the sidelines, "The game is over! You can go home and sleep now."

Damn it, Yang Lin has been holding it in all night.

From the moment he entered the arena, the fans booed and insulted him loudly, as if the injuries to Parker and Bowen were entirely his fault.

The video is right there, clearly displayed!

Are they all just lying to themselves?

Bowen injured so many players in the past, but now that his own players are injured, and it's because of his own fault, he's not happy about it?

You can only take advantage, not...

Uh... no.

This is a classic case of "you'll lose out if you don't take advantage of it".

"Shh~~~Shh~~~"

"Butcher~~Butcher~~~Butcher~~~"

"Fuck!! You're a son of a bitch!"

"..."

Yang Lin's celebration immediately made the AT&T arena erupt in cheers.

The home team, the Spurs, were trailing, and it seemed that this game, or even this round and this season, was over.

The fans at the stadium had nowhere and no reason to vent their frustration!

Yang Lin's celebration gave the fans in the stadium a chance to vent their frustrations.

"Wow~~ I love this little guy."

In Turner Studios, Barkley once again expressed his admiration for Yang Lin.

Okay! That's obvious.

As a commentator, who doesn't like players who stir things up?

Those are all hot topics, all generating traffic.

If he could, he would wish for an Auburn Hills Palace incident to happen every year.

This way, he can have fun, the show will generate buzz, and he can also offer moral criticism—it's a win-win situation.

As for the negative impact on the NBA, what does that have to do with him? He's just a commentator.

"Haha~~ I like it too. This little guy is really interesting." Kenny Smith nodded and laughed in agreement.

"Through this game, we can see that the absence of Tony and Bruce has had a significant impact on San Antonio. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they will win their first away game of the round."

"Back at home the day after tomorrow, they will have a chance to end this series and reach the Finals for the third time in franchise history. This time, they have a very good chance of winning."

"Because this time, their opponent won't be the Chicago Bulls, and that man won't be there."

"This little guy changed this playoff series, and he could very well change the final championship outcome."

They do know a thing or two about football.

They all understand.

Of the four teams that made it to the conference finals, the San Antonio Spurs, with their full roster, are the strongest.

They were originally very likely to become the champion in an odd-numbered year once again.

However, in the last game, Yang Lin accidentally injured Parker and Bowen, making this year's championship uncertain once again.

The Jazz's away win set the tone for their run to the NBA Finals.

Two days later, Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals took place in Salt Lake City. The Jazz did not disappoint their home fans, ultimately winning 105-97.

After losing two away games, the Utah Jazz won four straight to advance to the NBA Finals.

After Game 6 ended, Yang Lin watched his teammates celebrate and felt a little bored. He was about to leave when Duncan came looking for him.

Did they not leave immediately?

Right.

He has already won three championships, and he has the courage and pride to face defeat.

"Yang, congratulations! You played great."

Duncan's smiling face made Yang Lin, who was used to his blank expression, feel a little uncomfortable.

You can't hit someone who's smiling at you; the other person is coming to congratulate you.

Yang Lin politely replied, "Thank you! We won somewhat by luck. If it weren't for your injuries, I don't think we would have lasted until the sixth game."

"Injuries are part of the game, aren't they? You won, and you deserved the victory."

Duncan slumped his shoulders, making no excuses for his team's defeat.

Finally, he encouraged them, "Good luck! I hope you can win in the end. After all, losing to the final champion isn't something to be ashamed of."

"Haha~~ We'll work hard and strive to win the championship."

Sensing the sincerity in Duncan's words, Yang Lin smiled and nodded.

They didn't chat for long before parting ways.

As Duncan turned to leave, Yang Lin said, "Tim, don't take my trash talk too seriously. In my opinion, you're the greatest power forward of all time, no doubt about it."

"Thank you for the compliment~~"

With his back to Yang Lin, Duncan waved and left.

Looking at his slightly swaying shoulders, Yang Lin guessed that this reserved man must be overjoyed.

However, watching Duncan's departing figure, Yang Lin suddenly remembered something else.

The Spurs were eliminated. Does that mean the classic line from the original timeline—"The future is yours, but now it's gone"—is lost?

You should know that this statement has misled LeBron James for many years.

In 07, the future was yours.

Years later, as LeBron James continued his journey, he looked up and saw, damn it, that old geezer was still blocking his way.

Upon looking at it this way, Yang Lin suddenly realized that he was actually a James fan?