Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 1144 The Celtics Make a Strategic Change! The Stone Buddha Unleashes His Divine Power!

But if Parker could defend Lin Tian, ​​if he had that defensive ability, the Celtics would probably have become a dynasty long ago.

There is no one who can stop Lin Tian unless the heavens send some kind of grandson of the Heavenly Dao or grandson of destiny.

Facing Parker's defense, Lin Tian first turned his back to Parker, then quickly turned around, leaned his shoulder against him, and simultaneously took a quick lateral step back to create distance.

Then Lin Tian pulled up and decisively shot another three-pointer.

"Whoosh!"

After a crisp sound, Lin Tian hit a three-pointer!

16 points!

The gap between the two sides continued to widen.

"Tony, you need to work harder, or you might lose your starting position." Lin Tian said with a smile after scoring a goal, "Think about your lineup, do you lack attacking prowess? No, do you lack dribbling skills? No."

"What are you guys lacking? You're lacking defense against the point guard! Do you have that?"

"Or, you could beg me, and I might consider letting you win the next game so you can save face and keep your starting position. How about that? We're brothers, I don't want you to lose your starting position after just one game of the new season."

"None of your business!" Parker didn't dribble forward. It was only the fourth quarter of the first game, and he had already been significantly marginalized.

"When was the last time you were a substitute? Probably those two years when you were my substitute," Lin Tian chuckled. "How about it, want me to give you a hand? What's that saying again?"

"I'll protect my substitute! No one but me will let you be a substitute!"

"LeBron's about to score, can't you go help him on defense?"

Parker was really annoyed by Lin Tian. Even though European players often don't care as much about starting positions as American players, Parker had been a starter for more than ten years. Now that his ability has declined, he has become increasingly marginalized among the starters. Of course, he knew that what Lin Tian said was true.

Should he talk about this so openly on the field?

Is he suitable?

"Oh, thank you!"

To Parker's surprise, Lin Tian actually looked back, then suddenly accelerated and ran towards the inside, reaching the edge of the three-second zone in an instant, before landing firmly on the ground and remaining motionless.

"Bang!"

Almost simultaneously, a muffled thud was heard. James, who was charging toward the paint, couldn't brake in time and crashed head-on into Lin Tian, ​​knocking him to the ground.

"Offensive foul!"

The referees at the Lakers' home arena certainly wouldn't disappoint Lakers fans. Ignoring James's angry protest as he sat on the ground with his hands outstretched, they issued an offensive foul without hesitation.

"FUXX!" James stood up, yelling, "FUXX! He wasn't even standing properly when I charged at him! FUXX!"

"Thank you, Tony!" Lin Tian ignored James's protest and turned to Parker, saying, "Without your reminder, I couldn't have made such a perfect help defense!"

"You'll have a seat at the celebration banquet tonight."

"It's okay, Tony!" James quickly regained his composure, especially after he noticed the referee was about to raise his hand for a technical foul after his outburst. James immediately stopped complaining and looked at Parker, saying, "I won't take it seriously."

"We all know what kind of person Lin is."

"What kind of person am I?" Lin Tian received the baseline pass from his teammate and looked at James, saying, "I'm the kind of person who can always beat you. As long as I haven't retired and as long as I'm still in the league, you'll never be able to win a championship."

After Lin Tian finished speaking, he suddenly passed the ball to the other side, and Kobe was once again facing Bradley.

Kobe had already figured out how to play against Bradley. After two fake moves, he would take a step and pull up for a jump shot. Bradley still couldn't touch Kobe and could only watch helplessly as Kobe pulled up for a mid-range shot.

"Whoosh!"

With another crisp sound, Kobe made another mid-range jump shot, extending the gap between the two sides to 18 points.

"Stay calm! There's still plenty of time, we can catch up!" James grabbed the ball again, constantly reminding his teammates to stay calm and not rush. He himself steadily moved to the frontcourt and then passed the ball to Duncan.

With Bynum out, giving the ball to Duncan was the Celtics' best option, and James once again made the safest and most reasonable choice.

Duncan did not disappoint his supporters this time either. Facing Turiaf, Duncan's post-up game was as easy as if he were playing his own pet dog. He didn't even need to fake anything; he simply turned and hooked the ball in.

Duncan's isolation plays became the Celtics' most frequent tactic in the following possessions. They repeatedly fed the ball to Duncan for one-on-one battles, and Duncan demonstrated the power befitting a superstar during this period.

Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse!

Whether it's Turiaf or anyone else, they couldn't stop Duncan when Bynum wasn't around.

In just a few minutes, Duncan quickly scored 8 points, bringing his personal score to 20.

The Lakers' offense faltered during this period, with inconsistent efficiency in one-on-one situations and mid-range shots, allowing the gap between the two teams to narrow rapidly.

83: 94!

The gap between the two sides was narrowed to 11 points with 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The Celtics, who were on the verge of collapse, withstood the Lakers' firepower thanks to Duncan's isolation plays, bringing the game back into the spotlight. The upcoming game between the two teams will be full of exciting moments!

Miller said during the timeout: "The biggest point of interest, I think, is the Celtics' response. Will they make substitutions? The Celtics have managed to gain an advantage by playing their full starting lineup against the Lakers' second unit."

"But this advantage is clearly not enough. They were too far behind before. They need to maintain their advantage, then expand it, until they turn it into a winning position."

"But their core players are already quite old. Duncan and Parker aren't young guys anymore. Are you going to let them play the entire second half? Then their performance will likely experience a precipitous decline."

"Let me correct you, only Duncan might experience a decline in performance due to lack of energy, Parker won't," Jackson said. "He's been at rock bottom all night, it's impossible for him to go any lower, I don't believe he can get any worse."

"So, what if we take Parker out?" Van Gundy said. "We can all see that Bradley can't guard Kobe, and Parker can't guard Lin. But what if we switch them out?"

"Bring in Danny Green, who's been playing well off the bench. He was outstanding tonight in both three-pointers and defense. Then, have Green guard Kobe and Bradley guard Lin. As for the playmaking, just leave it all to James."

"At the very least, this lineup looks more logical and reasonable. It's also a better matchup against the Lakers. More importantly, it's defensively stronger! That's something the Celtics absolutely need to do after their timeout."

"After all, the Lakers will definitely bring out their four superstars after the timeout. If the Celtics, who are trailing, can't defend, they can forget about catching up. Defense is their most important task going forward."

"I think Jeff's plan is feasible!" Miller nodded. "Now, let's see if Karl has the guts to do it. Let's see if he has the guts to bench the team's core guard and championship contributor from the past few years in his first game in charge."

Amid the analysis and predictions of the three commentators, everyone's attention inevitably shifted to the Celtics' bench, eager to see if Parker would simply sit there.

If he can only watch from the bench during the final minutes tonight, what about the next game against the Clippers? And the game after that, the team's season opener back at TD Garden?

Will he eventually lose his starting position and be completely marginalized or even traded?

Fortunately, this was just a short pause, and the suspense didn't last long.

The players from both sides quickly returned to the field.

The Lakers have brought back their full starting lineup.

As Van Gundy predicted, the Celtics replaced Parker with Green!

Duncan, Bass, James, Green, Bradley!

A lineup featuring two stars alongside three defensively strong role players.

At the same time, because both Bass and Bradley have the ability to shoot mid-range shots, and Bradley and Green can both shoot three-pointers, this lineup also has considerable spacing and offensive capabilities.

If we had to point out their weaknesses, it would be that they only have James as a ball-handler on the perimeter, while Green and Bradley are purely finishers.

If the Lakers can shut down James' individual offense and prevent him from organizing the team's offense, then this lineup will be completely shut down.

For the Lakers, now it's all about whether Durant can contain James!

As the timeout ended, the Lakers quickly inbounded the ball to Lin Tian.

Lin Tian took the ball, observed it for a moment, and then passed it directly to the wing. Durant received the ball and then bounced it to Bynum before quickly moving towards Lin Tian.

Lin Tian did the same. He had already started running towards Durant the moment he passed the ball. After a quick off-ball screen between the two, they both gained a good space at the same time!

There was no way around it; Lin Tian was very experienced, and his ability to set up screens for others was no less than that of most of the league's big men.

While Durant's screens weren't as solid as Lin Tian's, he had the advantage of being tall and having long limbs.

He also took up more space when setting screens, so the two of them simultaneously screened for each other and gained space at the same time. Not only did they gain space, but they also didn't stop moving at all, quickly running to the sides to create space, making it difficult for the Celtics to fill the gaps.

"Andrew!"

Durant and Lin Tian raised their hands and shouted almost simultaneously. At that moment, whether the ball was passed to Durant or Lin Tian, ​​both of them would definitely get a very comfortable space.

But after glancing at the two, Bynum resolutely launched a powerful shot, took a step back, feinted and turned, and then unleashed his signature hook shot.

"Snapped!"

But this time Duncan didn't fall for it. He used his top-level defensive instincts to successfully predict Bynum's shot and slapped Bynum's hook shot away.

"Quick attack!"

James, who was just trying to catch up with Durant, immediately turned around, grabbed the basketball, and quickly passed it forward before striding up the court!

James's ability to drive the ball is beyond question; once he gets going at full speed, no one in the league can stop him.

Including Lin Tian!

If Lin Tian is a charging rhinoceros, then James is a migrating African elephant.

His current weight of 110 kilograms is still 20 kilograms heavier than Lin Tian's at his peak.

Even with Lin Tian, ​​the most they could do was use foul tactics to bring him down, or look for opportunities to sneak up on him from behind and block his shot.

It would be too difficult to face LeBron James head-on at full speed.

This guy's fast-paced attack ability is absolutely the best in history, or even in a class of its own.

No one on the Lakers could stop James on that play. Even though they tried their best to set up their defense, they could only watch as James slammed the ball in.

85: 94!

The score difference has narrowed to within 10 points.

"We can catch up! We can catch up! Only 9 points left!" James clapped his hands vigorously, loudly encouraging his teammates. He needed this victory, more than anyone else!

From San Antonio to Dallas, he has endured countless criticisms and even insults. Now, after only two years in Dallas, he has come to Boston, where he is facing even more criticism than he did two years ago.

Especially in last season's Western Conference Finals, the three-pointers that Terry, who had been kicked out, made despite his defense and the Mavericks' defense, were like slaps in the face.

Coward, coward, loser, traitor, chosen loser, destined to be uncrowned...

Various nicknames were given to him.

James wants to win; he wants a spectacular and exhilarating victory to prove himself.

He wants even just one regular season game!

He didn't want to lose to Lin Tian again.

"We're still leading by 9 points!" Lin Tian's reaction was almost the complete opposite of James's.

James is currently so enthusiastic he's almost insane, his eyes practically blazing with fire, as excited as if he'd just had a huge shot of strong vodka.

Lin Tian, ​​however, remained smiling and calm, letting the basketball roll on the floor without picking it up, and calmly told his teammates to stay calm.

He didn't even blame Bynum for his mistake; his calm demeanor immediately calmed the Lakers players down.

The basketball then rolled all the way to near the center of the court and stopped.

Kobe's pass was slow and weak; it stopped before it even reached midfield.

Then Lin Tian didn't touch the basketball, but just stood in front of it, like an old man taking a stroll in the park.

"FUXX! Hurry up! Time's still running! The game hasn't stopped!" The first to notice something was wrong was Carl on the sidelines.

The old man finally realized that the game wasn't over yet. At this point, the clock wouldn't stop as long as the basketball entered the court. It was just that Lin Tian hadn't touched the basketball, so the 24-second shot clock hadn't started.

Upon hearing Karl's reminder, Bradley quickly sped up and ran towards Lin Tian. Only when Lin Tian saw Bradley coming did he pick up the basketball. At that moment, the 24-second shot clock started ticking.

Lin Tian's play lasted for almost 20 seconds, which was incredibly frustrating for the Celtics who were desperate to catch up. It was a huge blow to their morale.

The bitterness of being intellectually crushed is especially easy to cause the Celtics' morale to plummet again.

Lin Tian understood the significance of wasting those 20 seconds. After Bradley rushed towards him, Lin Tian didn't give Bradley any chance to steal the ball. He quickly picked up the basketball, then changed direction to shake him off, and in the blink of an eye, he was on the frontcourt.

Despite Lin Tian's seemingly unhurried demeanor and apparent waste of time, he quickly picked up the pace again after the halftime break.

With Bradley left behind, a brief 4-on-5 opportunity arose on the court, and Lin Tian charged straight into the paint! Even though Bradley was very good at defending guards, he could only chase after Lin Tian at this moment.

The Celtics' defense was instantly breached by Lin Tian, ​​forcing them to quickly collapse and surround him. Everyone knew that double-teaming Lin Tian was rarely effective, especially when he had a reliable scorer nearby.

This time, after observing, Lin Tian quickly passed the ball to Kobe on the wing. Kobe received the ball but did not shoot immediately. Instead, he made a shooting fake first.

Well, how should I put it? Before making the fake move, Green was a good 2 meters away from Kobe. It was a decent opportunity, but not an absolute open shot. Green could have interfered with Kobe to some extent.

This is also why Green is a better fit to defend Kobe than Bradley. At this point, Bradley would have absolutely no chance to disrupt Kobe and could only watch him shoot.

If Kobe's faked shot works, then Green, who is defending him, will be completely shaken off, and Kobe will have an open shot.

But if he can't shake off Kobe, Green will have the opportunity to quickly return to his defensive position and completely cover Kobe, preventing him from getting an easy shot.

In this play, Green didn't fall for the trick and successfully stood in front of Kobe, engaging in a physical battle with him. Kobe, who had been in excellent form for the first three quarters, couldn't maintain his shooting touch at this point. After a series of fakes to get rid of Kobe, his mid-range jump shot still missed.

"FUXX!" Kobe slapped his hands angrily after missing the shot, feeling extremely frustrated with the result. He had played so well against Bradley today, but he struggled so much against Green.

They just won't go in, they're just shooting at the black iron!

Duncan grabbed the rebound again after the missed shot, and then passed the ball to James, and the Celtics' offense started again!

Once in the frontcourt, James finally showed his true colors when facing Durant, choosing the playing style that all the fans wanted him to play.

With a wave of his hand, he signaled everyone to spread out, then unleashed his signature long stride and powerful drive, charging to the basket, pushing past Durant, and scoring with a one-handed layup!

7 points!

"FUXX! You black bastard, you think you can guard me? Huh? You think you can guard me? FUXX! You won't be able to guard me even in your next life!" An excited James roared at Durant, and after venting his anger, he didn't forget to look back at his teammates.

"We can catch up! We can catch up!"

87: 94!

"Give it back!" Lin Tian looked at the somewhat dejected Durant and slapped him on the butt, saying, "Do the same thing he did to you!"

"I'll get my revenge!" Durant may not be the type to be full of passion and get fired up anytime, anywhere, but he's also not the kind of spineless coward who can be easily bullied.

He also patted his chest, expressing his determination to Lin Tian.

"I knew you could do it! I believe in you!" Lin Tian nodded to him, and then the two of them stood near the baseline, suddenly performing a rather complex set of hand gestures. (End of Chapter)