svetikya Chapter 440 Firepower Showdown! Scoring over 60 points in the first half, still trailing by 16 point
Chapter 440 Firepower Showdown! Scoring over 60 points in the first half, still trailing by 16 point
No sooner had Kobe finished trash-talking than Lin Tian suddenly began to move. He quickly made a half-turn towards the baseline, and at the same time, the basketball slammed heavily on the floor. Just as Kobe moved his feet toward the baseline, Lin Tian had already made another turn toward the top line in the opposite direction, directly shaking off Kobe!
Then Lin Tian smoothly completed the turn, pulled up and jumped to shoot.
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, Kobe, who was a meter away, didn't even have time to rush forward to defend.
"Looks like Hakim's been holding back." Lin Tian looked at Kobe, who was completely out of his depth, and mocked, "Either your own comprehension is too low, or whichever it is, you can choose for yourself."
"I'll shut you down!" Kobe gritted his teeth. He had been completely shaken off by Lin Tian on that last play, which was completely different from what he had expected!
He thought Lin Tian would go head-to-head with him, but Lin Tian suddenly made a double spin move followed by a step-back shot.
"So smooth!" Kobe dribbled the ball while recalling Lin Tian's movements and couldn't help but give it a very high rating.
Then, Kobe decided to go back and study Lin Tian's footwork in this round. He wanted to add this move to his arsenal!
If Lin Tian knew what Kobe was thinking, he would definitely tell Kobe: Don't rush to put it away, buddy. You have a lot of similar things. Why don't you expand your arsenal first, so you don't run out of space?
On offense, the Lakers once again passed the ball to O'Neal.
O'Neal once again pushed past Ben Wallace under the basket, but just as he was about to pull up for a score, he was surrounded by Jordan, Wallace, and Webber.
Unfortunately, at that moment, his basketball was below his waist.
As we all know, in an NBA game, if a center is double-teamed and the ball is still below his waist, he is likely to be hit and slapped many times in that possession.
That was a bunch of slaps, a chaotic, indiscriminate slapping!
Whether the referee blows the whistle or not really depends entirely on the referee's mood at the moment.
This time, the referee obviously didn't care, and Jordan's big, fan-like hands slapped the basketball in O'Neal's hands three or four times in a row.
Why not take the shot? Forget about whether we can steal the ball or whether it's a foul, let's just go for it!
"FUXX!"
O'Neal, in pain, was too weak to lift the basketball. After being hit several times, the basketball finally went out of control and was swatted away by Jordan.
"Quick attack!"
After getting the basketball, Jordan didn't care whether the referee blew the whistle or not. He threw the basketball forward and then sprinted away!
The Pacers' fast breaks, which they couldn't execute in the last game, are all back today!
This time, Jordan dribbled the ball up the middle, and Lin Tian and Christie quickly followed up from the left and right, looking for a scoring opportunity.
After the Lakers were hit by several fast breaks, their defense retreated very quickly this time!
When Jordan first arrived at the Lakers' three-point line, all the Lakers players, including O'Neal, had already returned to their own three-point line.
"Michael!"
Just as Jordan was about to observe the situation on the court, Lin Tian's shouts came over.
Jordan didn't even need to look in Lin Tian's direction before he passed the ball directly to him.
As Lin Tian ran, he grabbed the basketball, quickly raised it, and made a feint. Then he half-turned and dribbled the ball, using his back to block Kobe. After a brief sway of his upper body, Lin Tian turned to face the basket again, raised the basketball, and made another fake shot.
This time, Kobe finally fell for it!
He jumped up to try and block the shot, but to his despair he found that Lin Tian hadn't jumped at all. Instead, he took a step forward and then jumped up to shoot a floater, scoring 2 points!
A standard turn and step!
"Do you like this move? I can teach you!" Lin Tian looked at Kobe and continued to mock him.
With this S+ level of back-to-the-basket ability, he's really adept at beating people up!
Anyway, Lin Tian likes this!
"Beat us first!" After being outplayed twice by Lin Tian, Kobe finally couldn't hold back anymore!
He faced Jordan on offense, then quickly switched to facing away from the basket, using a series of fakes and footwork changes. Then he suddenly stepped back, turned around, and tried to shoot directly.
But who was he facing?
The undisputed king of back-to-the-basket play!
Kobe's still somewhat immature post-up skills didn't fool Jordan at all. Instead, Jordan quickly caught up and reached out to interfere with Kobe's shot.
"Bang!"
Jordan's interference was spot on, and Kobe missed the shot again. After securing the rebound once more, Ben Wallace threw the ball out towards the frontcourt!
"Fuck! It's not that bad!" Lin Tian cursed angrily. Looking at Ben Wallace's unpredictable, missile-like pass, what else could he do but sprint?
We can't just watch the basketball go out of bounds, can we?
Once again, Lin Tian barely managed to save the ball by stepping on the baseline. Then, using what he had seen out of the corner of his eye before saving the ball, he instinctively flicked the basketball backward. He then lost his balance and fell into the group of photographers on the baseline.
Lin Tian's no-look pass flew straight to the right 45-degree angle, where Jordan received the ball again!
Jordan didn't hesitate after getting the ball; he had his fill of shooting pull-up three-pointers tonight!
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, Jordan hit another three-pointer!
"Fuck!" Miller, sitting on the sidelines, suddenly cursed, "My shooting instruction is fucking amazing? Hey you guys, pay extra if you want to learn in the summer!"
After Jordan hit that three-pointer, the point difference between the two sides had widened!
4: 15!
The point difference between the two sides has now reached double digits!
The first quarter of this game had only lasted a little over 3 minutes!
Jackson, who was sitting on the sidelines, couldn't sit still any longer. He stood up, waved his hands, and called the first timeout of the night!
The Lakers need to stabilize! After being given such a dream start by the Pacers, Jackson can't let things continue like this.
He has to think of a way!
Otherwise, they'll have to wait to return home with a 0-2 deficit and fight with their backs against the wall!
But even if it's called a pause or adjustment, there's really not much the Lakers can adjust.
After all, they didn't make any mistakes on the defensive end. They let someone who isn't good at shooting three-pointers sink three consecutive three-pointers with no tactical basis. Can you blame the coach for not making the right arrangements?
What can Jackson do when one of his strongest defensive options gets outplayed twice in a row in the low post?
To surround Lin Tian?
So, should we just ignore Jordan's hot streak of hitting three consecutive three-pointers?
Should Fisher be sent to double-team?
How about we develop Christie's touch as well?
Therefore, Jackson was actually very clear about it.
The team's defense remains unchanged.
Besides shouting "Come on! Come on! Wooden house! Wooden house! Enough, enough, enough!" a few times, he really had no other choice.
Who can blame them when the Pacers' firepower is so incredibly strong?
The only thing the Lakers can adjust is their offense!
All he could do was tell Malone to be more aggressive and drive to the basket more often, Kobe to be more careful with his passing, O'Neal to be more aggressive with his elbows, and Fisher and Kirilenko to be more decisive when shooting.
Then he laid out several of the Lakers' usual tactics, and Jackson was powerless to do anything about it.
He can only hope that the Lakers' offense will improve.
He knew very well that with the offensive power and determination that Jordan and Lin Tian had shown tonight, defense was definitely not going to work!
If Kirilenko hadn't also been a good scorer, Jackson might have taken him out at this point and put in someone who could score better.
Unfortunately, the team doesn't have that kind of player, so they can't replace him.
But as the timeout ended, perhaps Jackson's "Come on! Cabin! Enough is enough!" and similar phrases had an effect, and the Lakers did indeed show something different when they returned to the court.
First, Kobe and Shaq played a combination on one side, with Shaq assisting Kobe on a cut to the basket for a layup.
Although the Pacers then had Lin Tian score against Kobe in the low post with his footwork, Kobe then found Fisher on the weak side when he was backing down, and made a long cross-court pass to Fisher for a three-pointer!
Then it was Jordan's turn. He hit three consecutive three-pointers, successfully faking out Kirilenko's defensive focus beyond the three-point line, and drove straight to the basket, finishing with a reverse layup over O'Neal!
Starting from these two rounds, both sides have been reawakened and have begun a brand new round of attacks!
Both sides' offensive pace noticeably quickened, and their success rate also improved significantly!
The Lakers could only manage a back-and-forth battle with the Pacers, unable to close the 10-point gap, but at least the difference didn't widen further, and the gap between the two teams remained around 10 points.
This balance was finally broken with three minutes left in the first quarter!
The score at this point is 21:30!
With three minutes remaining in the first quarter, Jackson used a timeout opportunity to bench O'Neal and Kirilenko, leaving Kobe, Fisher, and Malone to continue playing alongside Shaw and Fox.
At this time, the Pacers also let Jordan, Christie, and Ben Wallace rest, and brought on Miller, Arenas, and Ginobili.
The three-defender lineup is here!
With the substitution complete, the Pacers' offensive onslaught officially began!
In the first possession, Kobe drove to the basket, pushed past Ginobili who was defending him, and made a layup for 2 points. But he felt like he hadn't even landed yet when Webber had already inbounded the ball from the baseline!
Although it was just a regular baseline pass, not one of their signature long passes, the entire Pacers team had already started sprinting at that moment!
Lin Tian took the lead with the ball on the left side and sped forward, while Ginobili sprinted towards the right corner.
After Lin Tian drove all the way to the basket, he didn't force his way up against Fox's defense. Instead, he threw out a curved pass with one hand. The basketball flew almost out of bounds, drawing an arc, and came back to Ginobili's hands.
Ginobili, who received the ball, also did not shoot. He passed the ball with one hand, and it passed right past Shaw's head as Shaw ran towards him. The ball almost grazed Shaw's ear.
But because the ball was so fast and Ginobili's passing technique was so unpredictable, poor Shaw couldn't even reach out to intercept the ball. It was a miracle he didn't just crouch down on the floor in fright!
This was so sudden!
Arenas, who had already stopped beyond the three-point line, received the ball at the top of the arc with not a single defender around him. How could he possibly miss such an open shot? He drained the ball, and the Pacers scored another three points!
23: 33!
After the Pacers hit that three-pointer, Kobe wanted to respond in kind. He dribbled the ball and charged into the paint, then flicked it out to Shaw, who was standing on the wing and had been left out.
The same open three-point attempt, and it was taken by the team's most important bench scorer!
But the results of the two goals were completely different!
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, Shaw's three-pointer bounced off the rim and failed to go in!
Instead of catching the ball under the basket, Miller slammed it down hard with one hand!
The movement he used was similar to the spiking motion in volleyball, and the basketball, like a volleyball, streaked through the air and flew towards the front court like a cannonball!
Just as the basketball reached the Lakers' three-point line, Lin Tian arrived in time, grabbed the ball, and instead of shooting, he passed it behind his back with one hand to Ginobili, who had just run to the other side at a 45-degree angle.
"FUXX!"
Kobe, who had just risked his life to rush to Lin Tian and was about to start defending him, cursed in frustration.
No one but him can keep up!
Ginobili was overlooked once again.
This time, the Argentine didn't use his signature curved pass. Instead, he used his own awkward and clumsy motion to throw the ball towards the basket.
"Whoosh!"
After another crisp crack, the Pacers' bench players started to erupt!
Then, in the final two minutes of the first quarter, the Lakers were completely overwhelmed by the Pacers!
Although Kobe had given it his all and played exceptionally well during this period, scoring 8 points on 4 of 5 shots in 2 minutes, unfortunately, no one else on the Lakers could score.
Secondly, the Pacers' firepower was simply too outrageous. They made 4 of 7 shots during this period, including 3 consecutive three-pointers, which left the Lakers helpless.
31: 47!
In the first quarter, the Pacers scored a whopping 47 points!
During the rotation phase, their bench players went on a scoring spree, with Ginobili and Arenas each hitting two three-pointers and combining for 12 points!
It was during this phase, with a mix of starters and substitutes, that the point difference between the two sides widened once again!
Their first quarter was actually quite good; in fact, they, especially their starters, played very well!
Kobe scored a team-high 13 points, O'Neal 6 points, and Malone 5 points. The three superstars combined for 24 points in a single quarter, and their firepower was definitely not an issue!
The problem lies with the substitutes.
Shaw, Fox, and Horry were all renowned generals with distinguished pasts.
But now, are we going to let them chase after Ginobili and Arenas, let them compete with these young guys in terms of speed, shooting, and energy?
Then they really can't keep up.
These guys can only do some tactics and spot-up shooting; they really can't do much else.
In the second quarter, with the team trailing by such a large margin, Jackson dared not let too many of his key players rest. He knew very well that only his starting lineup could match the intensity of this Pacers team, so he only let Malone rest temporarily.
Apart from Horry, the other four players are all Lakers starters!
Judging from Jackson's words, Kobe is going to play like crazy for at least 48 minutes tonight!
The remaining players, such as O'Neal, Kirilenko, and Fisher, will likely also play at least 40 minutes per game.
Regarding this possible situation, Lin Tian, as a pioneer against involution and a role model for not working overtime, thoughtfully stated: Impossible!
With me around, I would never let my guys play for such a long time in a single game!
In order to avoid making his guys work overtime, Lin Tian did not rest at the beginning of the second quarter!
He and Jordan, along with Ginobili, Arenas, and Ben Wallace, fielded the most insane lineup of the night.
Four defenders paired with a short center forward!
"Is he insane! Carlisle is insane!" Barkley kept repeating in front of the TV. "Four guards? No matter how much he values offense, no matter how much he wants the team to run and shoot, he can't field such a crazy lineup!"
"The Lakers will tear their paint!"
Kenny said, "If I were Phil, I would immediately send in Karl Malone! Extreme speed needs to be countered by extreme altitude!"
"Karl!" Sure enough, Jackson lived up to his reputation as a top coach. After seeing the Pacers' lineup, he immediately called Malone and asked him to put him back on the court.
Jackson knew very well that he had to maximize his advantages in height, strength, and weight!
Otherwise, if the Pacers' four-guard lineup gets into a rhythm, then what's the point of them playing?
We can pack our bags and head straight back to Los Angeles!
But no matter how quick Jackson's reaction was, he still had to wait for a dead ball opportunity before he could make a substitution, and the Pacers had already taken advantage of this opportunity to play to their speed and rhythm advantage!
Lin Tian broke through to the paint and passed the ball to Ginobili. Ginobili drove into the paint again and passed it to Jordan on the perimeter. By the time Jordan got the ball, the Lakers' defense was in complete disarray due to the two drives and passes!
He missed again!
Although Kobe rushed towards him immediately, it was clearly too late.
Jordan, beyond the three-point line, swiftly launched another three-pointer!
"Whoosh!"
Tonight, Jordan was playing like he was back in the 92 Finals, breaking the Finals three-point record in the first half.
Every shot counts!
After he hit that three-pointer, Malone also came back on the court, and the Lakers returned to their full starting lineup!
Facing the Pacers' four guards, the Lakers executed the ball very well, immediately passing it to Malone, who was guarding Jordan.
"Come on, you coward! Let me see how you score! You want a championship, don't you? Show some spirit!" Jordan put one arm directly on Malone's waist, making it difficult for him to exert force, while his entire lower body was wedged between Malone's legs.
Although Jordan was considerably shorter than Malone, his defensive effectiveness was truly remarkable!
Just as Ma Long was about to dribble and turn to attack, Lin Tian suddenly double-teamed him!
At the same time, Jordan, who had been supporting him from behind and providing him with resistance, suddenly pulled away his chair and moved around to Jordan's side from another direction, reaching out to steal the ball!
Lin Tian and Jordan double-teamed Malone, both of them quick and ruthless, slapping the ball away from Malone's arm in quick succession. Jordan then turned around and started another fast break!
With Malone on the roster, the Lakers certainly have a height advantage, but their speed is no match for the Pacers' four guards.
The Pacers' four players were spread out very far, almost forming a square at the four corners of the court. When Jordan dribbled the ball up the court, the Lakers only had three players who could get into defensive positions.
Jordan glanced at the ball and passed it to Ginobili. Ginobili, without stopping, passed it to Arenas. Arenas took the ball and immediately pulled up for a three-pointer!
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, Arenas' three-pointer finally missed.
But the Lakers players didn't even have time to be happy, because Fisher, who had quickly returned to the basket, was brutally pinned down by Lin Tian!
With his superior physical attributes and overwhelming strength, Lin Tian practically rode on Fisher's neck to grab the rebound, and then slammed the rebound into the basket while still in mid-air!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, the Pacers' relentless offense continued to widen the score gap!
But of course, basketball is, after all, a sport for giants.
After suffering two setbacks, the Lakers, who had a significant height advantage, quickly regained their form. In the following offensive possessions, they relied on their superior height in the paint to either score directly or grab offensive rebounds and score on putbacks.
As the Lakers gradually found their rhythm and began to narrow the gap, Carlisle quickly changed his lineup, removing Ginobili and Arenas and bringing back Webber and Christie to the starting lineups, and the two teams' starting lineups continued to battle!
For the remainder of the second quarter, both teams battled back and forth around the 15-20 point gap. The Lakers were unable to close the gap further, while the Pacers failed to find a suitable opportunity to extend their lead.
Towards the end of the second quarter, Carlisle didn't really go so far as to let Lin Tian play the full 24 minutes. He substituted Lin Tian with Tony Parker when there were 3 minutes left in the second quarter.
"Attack that Frenchman!" Jackson immediately ordered, instructing the team to use Parker as their breakthrough point and attack him!
Even if Parker's playing time is destined to be limited, and even if he commits consecutive fouls, he won't have much trouble with fouls, but what Jackson needs to do is not to actually score a lot of points over Parker.
He wanted to make Carlisle afraid to put Parker on the court again!
He wants to break this Frenchman down so that Lin Tianqian can play as many games as possible!
Only in this way can Lin Tian's physical strength be depleted, preventing him from getting enough rest!
The longer Lin Tian stays in the air, the more likely he is to run out of stamina in the final moments, and the more likely we are to win the game!
But Jackson's idea failed once again.
Kobe did indeed take on the offensive burden for Parker in the following minutes, and he continued his excellent shooting touch from tonight, scoring twice in a row.
The problem is, even after being repeatedly taught a lesson by Kobe, Parker wasn't afraid at all and dribbled aggressively to the frontcourt.
He's incredibly confident!
Especially noteworthy: the person defending him was Fisher!
Facing Fisher, Parker dribbled and accelerated in a series of changes of direction, then squeezed Fisher all the way to the inside before suddenly turning and throwing the ball up the court. Before O'Neal could react, the ball went straight into the basket.
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp crack, Parker managed to save face!
After that play, with 10 seconds left in the second quarter, Parker once again successfully broke through Fisher, drove to the basket, and scored again with a layup!
With just these two balls, Lin Tian can rest easily and peacefully!
At the end of the first half, the score was temporarily set at 64-80!
The two teams were essentially tied in this quarter, with the Pacers still leading by 16 points!
Kobe Bryant was undoubtedly the Lakers' best player in the first half, scoring a game-high 22 points. Shaquille O'Neal was also in great form, shooting 6-for-8 from the field and 3-for-5 from the free-throw line for 15 points. Karl Malone also scored 8 points!
For the Pacers, the highest scorer was Jordan with 16 points, followed by Lin Tian with 13 points, then Arenas with 10 points, Ginobili with 9 points, Webber with 8 points, and Christie with 7 points!
Tonight, the Pacers had a true team explosion, with the entire team firing on all cylinders, relentlessly chasing down the Lakers!
"The Lakers scored over 60 points in the first half but are still trailing. Kenny, do you have any ideas on how to help them?" During halftime, Barkley chatted with Kenny as usual.
"There's nothing we can do." Kenny was being honest, shaking his head directly. "Given the Pacers' form and firepower tonight, there's nothing you can do except pray they suddenly lose their rhythm and stop shooting in the second half."
"Defense? What kind of defense can stop this team? The Lakers can only do two things in the second half: make their offense more aggressive! And pray that the Pacers don't make their shots!"
"If I had to give them any advice, it would be to slow down, slow down as much as possible! O'Neal and Malone have to risk being unable to get back on defense even if the Pacers launch a fast break, but they still have to fight for offensive rebounds and defend the Pacers' baseline passes."
"Slow down the Pacers, and they'll slow down too! Only then will the Lakers have a chance to win!"
"But if we do that," Barkley couldn't help but say, "if the Pacers' passing goes beyond the Lakers' expectations, if their rebounds are hit even further away, then the Lakers' defense will completely collapse and become completely undefended."
"They'll let the Pacers score more points!"
"But if we don't do this, the Lakers will just be sitting and waiting to die, won't they?" Kenny shrugged, indicating that there were no other options.
The two chatted casually in front of the camera for a while, and after a few more clips of GG and highlights from the first half were played, the third quarter began!
At the start of the game, the Lakers did make some changes. Their offensive area began to move closer to the basket. Not to mention O'Neal's strong drives, Kobe's number of drives also increased significantly, and Malone also abandoned mid-range shots and started to attack the basket head-on!
After they score in the paint, Malone or O'Neal will immediately steal the ball and spread their arms to disrupt the Pacers' first pass, preventing them from quickly inbounding the ball. At the same time, the other four players will immediately retreat to defend, making it difficult for the Pacers to launch a fast break.
On the defensive end, the Lakers also went all out.
More double teams, more footwork, more switching rotations! All the Lakers players, including the two big men O'Neal and Malone, started rotating rapidly, running non-stop, and desperately chasing the Pacers players.
Facing a Lakers team that suddenly became fierce, the Pacers were indeed hit with a surge by the Lakers at the beginning of the third quarter, and the point difference was narrowed!
Especially O'Neal, who once again entered free throw-making mode in the third quarter.
In the first half of the third quarter, O'Neal went to the free-throw line 6 times and incredibly made 5 of them! Combined with his 4-for-5 shooting performance, O'Neal scored 13 points in the first half of the third quarter with extremely high efficiency.
In addition to scoring points with strong drives to the basket, O'Neal also gave his all on the defensive end. Not only would he be the first to rush to the baseline and spread his arms to disrupt the Pacers' first pass after almost every score, but he would also run tirelessly on the defensive end!
Countless times, when O'Neal switched to guard Lin Tian and Jordan, he never relaxed, but remained fully focused, running and defending those two guys like his life depended on it!
O'Neal displayed the highest level of professionalism and winning mentality, fighting fiercely on the court!
Even though he usually seems carefree and cheerful, right now he really doesn't want to lose again! Especially not to lose to the same opponent again!
O'Neal's outburst allowed the Lakers to score continuously on offense, while also causing considerable difficulties for the Pacers on defense!
After all, when the team's star player, who is usually not very aggressive on defense, especially when he doesn't defend pick-and-rolls or just camps under the basket, starts to play like crazy on defense, it's easy to get the other players on the team to get fired up on defense!
Of course, if the team leader doesn't defend at all and just stands there with his hands on his hips watching the game, then the rest of the team will definitely not be in the mood to defend properly and will just let things slide.
This is the power of idols and role models.
Led by O'Neal, the Pacers were outmatched by the Lakers on both offense and defense. With five minutes left in the third quarter, Carlisle had no choice but to call another timeout.
83: 90!
The Lakers have narrowed the gap to 7 points!
On the bench, Carlisle glanced at his players and suddenly said, "At this point in the game, we need to unleash our final trump card and secret weapon!"
"Tony, Gilbert, you two will replace Michael and Doug."
"Ben, in the next phase, you'll be our key figure! We'll be launching our attack with you at the core! Lin, what was the name you gave this tactic again?"
"RUN-TMD!" Lin Tian read out the tactic he had named himself, glancing at Ben Wallace and Carlisle. He really wanted to refuse.
Lin Tian felt that this tactic was a gamble, a risky approach that would either result in a complete victory or a pitiful defeat. He felt that it was far from the point where they should be playing so desperately to the death.
Moreover, if this tactic is not executed well, it's not just about losing the game; he himself will be exhausted, and it's easy to lose both the game and the team.
However, seeing Ben Wallace's eager and excited expression and Carlisle's determined gaze, Lin Tian could only roll his eyes.
What's there to say?
Let's do it!
Who told me to be so foolish back then and create this thing? (End of Chapter)