N-A-A Chapter 228 Stockton Gets a Fancy Beating
Chapter 228 Stockton Gets a Fancy Beating
Chapter 228 Stockton Gets a Fancy Beating
"Throw it, John! Don't be afraid! Throw it bravely!"
The person who shouted these words was none other than Lin Tian!
He didn't even glance at Stockton, just gave him a hard time, and turned to grab the rebound.
He knows Stockton very well in this round of matches. After suffering a major injury, it's not just his physical attributes that have declined, but also his stamina.
By this point in the season, his stamina was already depleted. Even though the Jazz had a nine-day break during the conference finals and the NBA finals, those nine days did little to help Stockton recover his energy.
In that series, Stockton scored less than double digits in four of the six Finals games. In two of those games, his field goal percentage was below 30%, and in two of those games, it was just over 40%. In the remaining two games, although he had an 80% field goal percentage in one game, he only took five shots and scored eight points.
Stockton only had one game in the Finals that could be considered a good performance, scoring 20+ points with a high shooting percentage and leading the Jazz to an overtime victory.
The remaining 5 games will either involve an undercover agent or be unremarkable and not worth mentioning.
The reason why Lin Tian gave Stockton such a big berth without even glancing at him was quite simple.
It's all about messing with Stockton's mentality! It's about making him completely lose confidence!
You old cunning bastard, are you trying to make me lose my mind and get all hot-blooded, so I just go around fighting recklessly?
No problem, I, Lord Lin, will grant your wish!
But by the way, Stockton should also bleed a little!
Lin Tian is determined to make Stockton lose all his confidence!
Losing confidence in playing basketball!
"Bang!"
Lin Tian's disregard for the defense caused Stockton's hand to tremble. His absolutely wide-open shot still missed and bounced off the rim.
Lin Tian spotted the direction, leaped high and grabbed the ball, then turned and dribbled all the way forward!
This time, Lin Tian's speed wasn't particularly fast; he simply turned sideways to block Stockton and advanced towards the frontcourt.
Then, after reaching two steps inside the Jazz's three-point line, Lin Tian suddenly turned around and completely blocked Stockton with his buttocks. He then pushed hard and rammed into the paint twice. Stockton was so dizzy from Lin Tian's two rammings that he felt like his internal organs were about to be torn apart.
Then Lin Tian exerted his strength again, pushing Stockton back two steps and he couldn't stand up straight, so he sat down on the ground in a very embarrassing manner!
Then Lin Tian quickly turned around, jumped, and shot!
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, Lin Tian's turnaround jump shot went in again!
After scoring, Lin Tian quickly ran to Stockton, who was sitting on the floor.
He certainly didn't mean any harm by trying to help Stockton up.
In the 90s, the idea of helping your opponent get back on their feet wasn't popular.
Lin Tian stood in front of Stockton with an arrogant and provocative expression.
He didn't move, nor did he utter any trash talk; he just looked down at Stockton from his superior position!
If Lin Tian were replaced by anyone else in this league, Stockton certainly wouldn't have tolerated this. He would have jumped up and given Lin Tian an elbow or a punch to teach him a lesson.
but now……
No, Stockton really doesn't dare.
He obediently got up, dusted off imaginary dust, and turned to Fecky, saying, "Adam, the ball! Brian, Jeff, you two set up, this guy's defense is tough!"
I chickened out! I chickened out completely!
And it wasn't just Stockton who chickened out; the rest of the Jazz team chickened out too. No one even dared to go up and help Stockton up. They all stayed far away, praying that Stockton wouldn't act impulsively.
After all, we were good buddies who got beaten up together last year, and everyone knows that Lin Tian is someone you can't mess with.
Stockton's decision brought a sigh of relief to the Jazz players and prompted Marcus to remark on it.
"It seems last year's series left a deep impression on the Jazz! I've never seen the Jazz so quiet!"
On the Jazz's third offensive possession, Lin Tian continued to press Stockton!
His strategy was to completely paralyze the Jazz's offense, preventing anyone from executing the desired tactics and ultimately forcing them into helpless one-on-one plays.
Hmm... it's most likely not a one-on-one fight, but a close call between one and many!
After the series against the Bulls, the Pacers have matured considerably. Their defensive movement, defensive rotations, and willingness on the defensive end have all improved significantly!
This time, when Stockton dribbled the ball up the court, he suddenly felt a sense of relief!
Ma Long is here!
Before Stockton could call a play, Malone moved to the top of the key to set a screen for Stockton.
"Your Majesty, Father!"
A moved Stockton almost blurted out the nickname he was using for Malone, but thankfully, being a top-tier point guard, he managed to keep his embarrassing shout out.
Using Malone as cover, Stockton bypassed Lin Tian and suddenly felt a wide-open space in front of him!
Yes, it's a bit too open!
Lin Tian once again completely ignored Stockton, turned around and helped Barkley chase Malone, giving Stockton more than 3 meters of space to shoot and drive.
"John, shoot! Don't be afraid!" Lin Tian once again took on the task of encouraging Stockton, hoping he would shoot.
"Stop looking down on me!" Stockton cursed. When in his life had he ever been treated like this?
When have I ever been bullied and ignored like this?
An enraged Stockton stared intently at the basket, recalling his relentless training throughout his more than 10-year career, the sweat and pain he endured training beyond the three-point line, and the memory of his game-winning three-pointer in Game 6 of last year's Western Conference Finals that sent the Rockets into the brink of defeat.
I can throw close! I'm Stockton!
"Snapped!"
Just as Stockton had finished aiming and was about to grit his teeth and shoot, the basketball in his hand disappeared.
This is reality, not a comic book. There isn't a whole episode for him to reminisce about his glorious past, nor will the entire cast freeze on screen to wait for him to mentally prepare before resuming activity.
Stockton doesn't have anything like a time stop.
Just as he was aiming for the opening, Lin Tian rushed up and slapped the basketball out of Stockton's hands, launching another fast break!
This time, Lin Tian actually performed a dunk that paid homage to Malone!
He held the basketball in one hand, touched the back of his head with the other, and with that smug, relaxed smile, Lin Tian's shot was absolutely dancing on the dignity of the entire Salt Lake City!
"boom!"
With a crisp sound, Lin Tian slammed the ball down again!
"That pose isn't cool at all." After landing, Lin Tian muttered as he ran towards Stockton, passing Malone, "What idiot would like such a stupid signature move?"
Ma Long gasped, cursing as he glared at Lin Tian. He really wanted to elbow Lin Tian!
But after taking a deep breath, he chose to endure it once again!
Sloan, sitting on the sidelines, also felt his blood pressure spike.
His intention was to have his key generals provoke Lin Tian, to make him lose his temper, either to fight recklessly by himself, or to go even further and get carried away and start a fight, resulting in him being kicked out of the game!
This was Sloan's plan, and in his mind, the only way for the Jazz to possibly defeat the Pacers!
From the day the Jazz eliminated the Lakers to advance to the Finals, Sloan began watching the Bulls and Pacers game tapes over and over again, from Game 1 to Game 7, from beginning to end, flipping through them repeatedly, even watching them frame by frame.
Then, after two weeks of hard work and self-torturing high-intensity work, Sloan made a decision.
That means that if either the Bulls or the Pacers were to go all out in a series, the Jazz wouldn't have much of a chance to win!
The Jazz's roster, Sloan's cards are still too few! In terms of roster, he is simply not as strong as the Bulls and Pacers.
Even if we only look at the strength of the team's absolute core players, the Jazz are clearly much weaker than the other two teams!
As for the Jazz's advantages?
Sloan thought about it over and over for half a month, but still couldn't come up with an idea!
If it's against the Bulls, Sloan could replicate his underhanded tactics from last year's Finals. After all, without Lin Tian, the Jazz can't be beaten like that again.
But it was the Pacers who advanced.
He couldn't beat them in basketball, and he was even less of a fighter. Sloan still clearly remembers the months he spent in the hospital bed last year.
FUXX!
What kind of bastard would hit an old man so hard?!
Sloan was truly terrified of Lin Tian; he was genuinely afraid!
Therefore, even though Sloan knew that the team had a very low chance of winning against the Pacers, he did not order any outside tactics as he usually would. He even repeatedly reminded his players to stay calm!
Just provoke Lin Tian with the things you usually see on a basketball court, but whatever you do, don't use anything from a fighting arena!
This is another conclusion Sloan reached by studying Lin Tian's matches: although this guy is ruthless, he is quite principled. He will retaliate in kind for whatever means others use against him!
He wouldn't resort to dirty tricks or attack opposing coaches without provocation. Last time, when Van Gundy tried to curry favor with him, he didn't even hit Van Gundy!
Sloan stood on the sidelines, deep in thought, while the situation on the court became increasingly unfavorable for the Jazz!
Or rather, Sloan had no solution to the situation on the court.
The Pacers started the game with incredible momentum!
Relying on Lin Tian's offensive and defensive prowess, they scored 12 consecutive points, giving the Jazz a dream start with a 12-0 run. Although Malone finally found an opportunity to score 4 points, it was a drop in the ocean. While Lin Tian stopped scoring, the rest of the Pacers found their rhythm: Miller hit a three-pointer, Barkley dominated the paint, and Schmitz hit a mid-range jumper...
The most outrageous player was Christie, the iron man who only made two three-pointers in the first six games of the series against the Bulls, but tonight he went 3-for-3 in the first quarter, including 2-for-2 from three-point range, scoring 8 points! He was the Pacers' highest scorer in the first quarter besides Lin Tian!
The Pacers scored 32 points in the first quarter alone!
On the Jazz side, although Malone also scored 10 points in a single quarter, the rest of the team combined only scored 10 points. The total score of the entire team was the same as that of Lin Tian and Christie combined.
After resting for almost 10 days at home, the Jazz were beaten like this by the Pacers, who only had two days of rest. Apart from Sloan, the entire Jazz team probably did not expect such a start.
Everyone had only one thought: the gap is just too big!
The Pacers are running so fast!
Wasn't it said that they were strong offensively but weak defensively? But their defense is incredibly strong!
Wasn't Christie supposed to be completely out of form? How come he's so accurate!
Miller and Barkley are past their prime, aren't they? How come they're still so strong!
Wasn't Bird just a rookie head coach? Why did he always seem so confident and capable?
In the first quarter, although they only lost by 12 points, the Jazz players' mentality was already on the verge of collapse.
In the second quarter, Lin Tian, Miller, and others went to the bench to rest, while Barkley, Ainge, Dumars, Ben Wallace, and Hoiberg took to the court together.
Bird was extremely cautious in his player selection during the Eastern Conference Finals, with very short rotations and almost entirely relying on his starters. However, in the NBA Finals, he dared to use anyone and any lineup because he felt more relaxed!
Bird discovered it in just one quarter of the game.
The Jazz are no match for their strength!
As the players became more relaxed, Bird naturally became bolder in his player selections!
At the start of the second quarter, Barkley unleashed a super agile double-spin hook shot that was completely out of proportion to his size, not only scoring the ball but also drawing a defensive foul from Ostertag!
After making the free throw, Barkley excitedly waved his hands, muttering, "Come on! Boo me! Boo me like you did in last year's Western Conference Finals! You bunch of bastards!"
Seeing the 15-point deficit, the usually conservative Sloan dared not be careless and immediately sent Malone and Stockton back onto the court.
He dared not let the team continue playing without a core player.
Sloan was well aware of his team's weaknesses: apart from Malone, they had no other reliable scoring options. Stockton was inconsistent, and Hornacek was declining with age, at best only a half-reliable scoring option.
As for the others, such as Shandon Anderson and Bryan Russell, they are basically all role players who can only do one or two things that they are good at.
On offense, they can only score easy baskets!
In terms of offensive resources, the Jazz are simply no match for the Pacers!
The introduction of Malone and Stockton had a remarkable effect! With key players like Lin Tian and Miller all out for the Pacers, their return to the court immediately led the team to start catching up!
For example, right from the start, Malone received a pass from Stockton and made a mid-range jump shot. On the defensive end, Malone yelled at his teammates and went head-to-head with Barkley, successfully blocking Barkley's layup. Then the Jazz launched another counterattack, with Stockton assisting Russell for a layup and scoring 2 more points!
After a 4-0 run, Bird remained unmoved, showing no intention of calling a timeout to stabilize the situation or substituting two players. He simply yelled, "Charles, so you really are no match for Karl! Ben, go help Charles on defense, give him a hand!"
"Get out of my way! I don't need your help!" Barkley's face instantly darkened. Everyone knew he hated Malone! He absolutely hated him!
Bird's provocation hit Barkley right where it hurt!
"I can't beat Ma Long? Bullshit!"
So when Stockton was about to set a pick and roll with Malone again, Barkley stuck to Malone tightly, not giving him a chance to cut to the basket and receive the ball. At the same time, when Stockton wanted to pass the ball to Malone, Barkley suddenly made a half-fronting defense, making it impossible for Stockton to pass the ball to Malone. Helpless, he could only drive to the basket himself!
But what ability does Stockton have to break through now? Ben Wallace under the basket is all over the place, easily accepting the gift and adding another block to his stats.
Dumars gets the ball and quickly launches a counterattack!
"Who would have thought that Charles, almost 40, could defy aging and suddenly learn defense?" Lin Tian leaned back in his chair and said casually, "Reggie, do you think you can even learn to dunk?"
"I can dunk!" Miller said impatiently. "You can criticize Charles all you want, but why drag me into this?"
"You call that a dunk? It's more like putting the ball in the basket with your hands." Lin Tian scoffed. "Want to learn a gliding dunk? I'll teach you!"
Since acquiring the "Leap of China," Lin Tian has become increasingly confident in his dunking skills!
Even if he can't compare to players like Carter, Jordan, or Wilkins, he's still full of confidence and has plenty of nerve to mock Miller!
"You teach Charles. If you can teach him, I'll show you how to shoot a three-pointer while standing on your hands and feet until you make it!" Miller gave Lin Tian the middle finger, indicating that he had absolutely no interest in dunking.
"Shoot a three-pointer upside down with your feet? Count me in! I want to see it too!" Just then, the Pacers launched a fast break, with Hoiberg making a layup. Barkley immediately turned around and looked at Lin Tian and the others with great interest, betting that this was his favorite thing to do!
"Lin is going to teach you how to dunk from the free-throw line. If you learn it, I'll do 'that' for you! How about it, wanna bet?" Miller looked at Barkley with a mischievous grin.
"What a load of rubbish!"
Barkley spat and turned to continue his defense.
He used to dunk from the free-throw line, but now he struggles to even lay up from the free-throw line!
He didn't bother to say anything!
I should have known long ago that Lin Tian and Miller weren't up to any good!
The relaxed atmosphere of the Pacers players chatting and joking around on and off the court really shows that they didn't take the Jazz seriously at all and didn't consider them their opponent.
It's so easy! It's a complete rout!
Bird didn't bring Lin Tian and Miller onto the court until five minutes into the second quarter, even though the score difference had narrowed to nine points. Bird didn't care or seem in a hurry.
After all, your Jazz team's full starting lineup was playing against my mixed starting lineup and bench players, and it took you 5 minutes to catch up by 3 points. Why should I be in a hurry?
Take it slow! If you, Malone and Stockton, have the stamina, then go all out for 48 minutes and see who goes soft in the fourth quarter!
As soon as Lin Tian entered the game, he immediately set a screen between the 1 and 2 positions on the outside. After the screen, Lin Tian took the ball and stepped back to the outside, while Miller quickly cut inside!
These two played a tactic that was almost the complete opposite of their usual habits. This mismatch movement directly confused the Jazz. Stockton and Russell, who were defending them, actually stood still for a moment, and then Miller and Lin Tian were both left out!
"Whoosh!" Lin Tian grabbed the basketball with both hands and slammed it into the paint. Miller, who had just completed a cut, grabbed the basketball and jumped to shoot.
His signature off-ball movement, followed by a catch-and-shoot jumper, resulted in a two-pointer!
The Pacers' lead has returned to over 10 points!
Then, Lin Tian rushed to Stockton's side again and pressed him tightly!
It's still the same intensity as the first quarter, and the scale is still almost touching!
Lin Tian is determined to completely crush Stockton tonight!
Speaking of which, Lin Tian's defense tonight was also very strange.
When Stockton had the ball, he was almost always glued to Stockton, using his body, speed, size and long arms to constantly interfere with Stockton's dribbling and playmaking, not giving him any chance to organize the Jazz's offense.
But if Stockton doesn't get the ball, Lin Tian immediately acts as if Stockton isn't even on the court. He doesn't even glance at Stockton and turns around to double-team the others. Even if Stockton gets the ball again beyond the three-point line, Lin Tian doesn't guard him. Instead, he gestures for Stockton to shoot freely!
This highly disjointed defensive style made Stockton very uncomfortable!
How can I describe that feeling?
I feel terrible! So frustrated!
For example, this time, after Stockton and Malone executed another pick-and-roll, Lin Tian ignored him and instead teamed up with Barkley to double-team Malone, blocking Malone's cutting space and preventing him from receiving the ball!
As for Stockton, he was completely unmarked.
Stockton glanced at the basket with the basketball, but didn't dare to shoot! Not only because he was 0-for-3 from three-point range tonight, but also because the feeling of being ignored was just too awful!
After a moment's hesitation, the opportunity vanished in an instant. Lin Tian had already handed over the defensive strategy against Malone to Barkley, and once again stood before Stockton, sneering, "Coward!"
"What did you say?"
"You coward who can't even shoot a basket! What's wrong with you?" Lin Tian looked at Stockton, showing no respect for the veteran, and coldly said, "Jerry, aren't you going to take you out? Your shooting is as terrible as my grandma's!"
"No! You're not even as good as my grandma! My grandma isn't afraid of me; she dares to shoot hoops, but you don't even have the courage to shoot hoops!"
"FUXX!" Stockton cursed, then slammed the ball back into the paint.
Let Malone do it!
Within this short period of the game, Stockton had already clearly sensed the gap between himself and Lin Tian.
He was absolutely and completely crushed!
If I were 5 years younger...
Well, he'll most likely still lose to Lin Tian, but at least he won't be this pathetic!
After Malone got the ball, Lin Tian once again left Stockton alone and quickly retreated to the inside. Malone didn't even have time to dribble the ball once before Lin Tian's hands were already swatting at him!
"Fuck you! When will this end?!" Malone cursed, quickly gathered the ball, and then passed it back to Stockton at the top of the key: "John, shoot!"
This time, Stockton threw.
"Bang!"
But what awaited him was still a blow to the iron.
He was completely out of form tonight.
His performance tonight was very similar to Christie's in the first six games of the Eastern Conference Finals.
I just can't make the shot!
There's no reason, and I can't find the cause, I just can't get the shot in!
After missing his shot, Stockton slapped his right hand in frustration, clearly hating himself.
Why can't I make the shot?
"Stop hitting, you won't make the shot even if you interrupt it." Lin Tian dribbled past Stockton and taunted, "Besides, it's your own fault for being useless, it's not your hand's fault."
"When you can't get an erection at night, do you also like to blame your wife for not being sexy enough? Maybe you could try Karl's bed; I think Karl is more suitable for you!"
As Lin Tian spoke, he didn't stop moving at all, rapidly advancing towards the front of the field.
Stockton wanted to retort, but he had no chance. Lin Tian was advancing too fast! He was practically running at Stockton's speed limit. Stockton was certain that if he took a breath and said a few words, Lin Tian would immediately disappear! Then he would be completely left behind and would never be able to catch up with Lin Tian again!
Wait a minute… Stockton frowned, suddenly realizing something was wrong.
Why does it happen to be right at its speed limit?
Is Lin Tian really that slow?
While he was thinking, Lin Tian had already driven into the three-point line, then turned halfway around again, shoved Stockton twice, and then suddenly turned around again and pulled up for a shot!
"Whoosh!"
Another crisp sound rang out, and the gap between the two sides continued to widen!
That bastard!
He did it on purpose!
Stockton's gaze toward Lin Tian was now filled with resentment and anger!
He sensed that Lin Tian wasn't using his full speed to fight him; Lin Tian was simply toying with him like a cat playing with a mouse!
"Kid, are you kidding me? You weren't even using full speed to break through just now!" Stockton asked Lin Tian with full resentment as he dribbled the ball forward again.
"There's no need," Lin Tian said casually, but his hands and feet were anything but relaxed. He continued to pressure Stockton's dribbling space, looking for an opportunity to steal the ball. "There's no need to go all out against you."
Stockton really wanted to grab the ball and smash it right into Lin Tian's head, then yell at him, "Who the hell do you think you are?!"
However, one possibility is that a basketball won't kill anyone, but if it hits Lin Tian, one's own fate will definitely be worse. Another possibility is...
Lin Tian is right.
Lin Tian is much stronger now than he was in last year's finals! Now, when he faces Stockton, he doesn't even need to go all out to easily take him down!
Unable to win in both offense and verbal sparring, Stockton once again sensed that this series might be the most frustrating of his entire career!
The second quarter was fast-paced, and Stockton was still being severely suppressed by Lin Tian. He not only couldn't organize any decent offense, but he also lacked the courage and idea to even shoot.
Even though Lin Tian gave him a lot of space, after Stockton missed all of his first few shots, every time he got an open shot, he either passed the ball or dribbled towards the basket.
However, the Pacers had already collapsed their defense, and Stockton still drove in. He's not some monster player like Hardaway or Hill with abnormal speed, strength, and jumping ability. He wasn't even going in to score; he was practically committing suicide by driving in!
也就是今天爵士队的其他人状态不错，在斯托克顿上半场7投0中1分没得还有2个失误的情况下，在马龙几乎每次拿球都被双人甚至三人包夹，上半场14投只有6中只拿到14分的情况下。
Hornacek, Anderson, and Russell delivered performances far above their average level, combining for 27 points in the first half alone to help the Jazz stay close in the score.
At the end of the first half, they trailed the Pacers by only 15 points, 50-65.
For the Pacers, Lin Tian made 10 of 14 field goals in the first half, including 2 of 2 two-pointers and 5 of 5 free throws, scoring 27 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. He once again demonstrated his dominance at the point guard position in the league!
Besides Lin Tian, Christie scored the second-highest points for the team with 13 points, and maintained a perfect shooting percentage. Tonight, Christie finally found his touch again!
In addition, Barkley scored 10 points and grabbed 5 rebounds, while Miller scored 6 points.
For the Pacers, it's all familiar, the same old formula! This style is exactly their favorite playing style and pace!
During halftime, Sloan did nothing but yell and shout at Stockton in the locker room, trying to get Stockton to cheer up and properly compete with Lin Tianyi instead of continuing in his current pathetic state.
In the Pacers' visiting locker room, Bird, perhaps having caught Jackson's whiff after the game against the Bulls, was sitting relaxed on the table in the middle of the locker room, a smile playing on his lips. Pshaw!
With a smile playing on his lips, he said casually, "Knowing Sloan as I do, if I'm not mistaken, Stockton must have had a nightmare during those ten minutes of halftime! Sloan probably spent the rest of the time, except for drinking water, cursing him for being so useless!"
"So, no matter what Stockton thinks, his shots will be more decisive and resolute in the second half! Lin, at the start of the second half, continue with the same defensive strategy as the first half and let Stockton shoot."
"We'll stay the same until he makes his first basket."
"Until Stockton makes the first one, Lin, you know what to do!"
"I'll keep his goal tally at one tonight!" Lin Tian nodded, brimming with confidence in controlling Stockton! Especially now, with the Jordan experience card boosting his abilities, Lin Tian's defensive skills have improved significantly. Defending against the aging Stockton, returning from a major injury, is a piece of cake!
"Apart from Stockton, everyone else continues with their duties from the first half! We'll play three quarters and then clock out!"
After clapping his hands loudly, Bird felt a long-lost sense of pride and confidence.
Since retiring, he hasn't felt this confident that everything is under control and that victory is assured.
Indeed, the perfect place for Larry Bird is the basketball court!
In the third quarter, the two teams switched sides and started the game again.
The Jazz had possession in the first possession, and most of the players from both teams moved to the Pacers' half of the court. Lin Tian stayed with Stockton, preparing to begin his personal full-court press.
Today, Lin Tian is not prepared to give Stockton any chance to turn the tide or regain his confidence!
He intends to use this match to completely destroy Stockton's confidence!
This time, however, Stockton didn't dribble the ball himself. He pointed to Russell next to him and told him to dribble the ball across half-court.
This was the strategy Stockton came up with after calming down.
I won't dribble, I won't advance the ball, what can you do to me? If I can't beat you, can't I just hide?
All that effort in pushing, battling, and dribbling did nothing to improve my game. I was exhausted, and my touch was completely lost in the constant struggle.
Stockton's conclusion was: He couldn't make shots in the first half because of too much physical contact, which led to a loss of touch and distorted movements. In the second half, as long as Lin Tian pressed him closely, he would stop dribbling and pushing the ball forward to ensure he had plenty of energy and leg strength, so that he could shoot with more power!
Well, Stockton wasn't wrong. If he didn't dribble forward, Lin Tian really couldn't do anything about him.
As the saying goes, no one can exploit a complete waste of space, and Lin Tian had no way to stop Stockton from ever getting the ball or attacking.
But the problem is, Lin Tian doesn't need to do anything about him!
"Reggie!"
After calling out Miller's name, Lin Tian rushed towards Russell and then closed in on him the instant Russell grabbed the basketball!
It was still a fierce contest, with very aggressive defense, constant trash talk, and ruthless attacks to steal the ball whenever they found an opening!
Russell was originally a workhorse type of player, and his basic skills were completely negligible! Faced with Lin Tian's sudden increase in intensity and full-court press, this guy couldn't react at all. Before he could even dribble twice, the ball was stolen by Lin Tian with a "snap"!
When he turned around to look, Lin Tian had already taken off from the spot and slammed the ball into the basket with one hand!
"John, aren't you coming back? Are you going to watch your little brother get ravaged like this by me?" After dunking, Lin Tian looked at Stockton and said arrogantly, "Besides you, the rest of your team probably can't even get past me in the first half."
Stockton only realized what was happening at this point.
Lin Tian doesn't need to target him at all; he only needs to target the Jazz's ball handler!
"Jeff, you go back too!" Sloan yelled impatiently from the sidelines. "The three of you protect the ball in the backcourt, pass it around, don't try to force your way through! Be careful, dribble the ball steadily across the frontcourt!"
Sloan's response brought three Jazz perimeter players to the backcourt simultaneously. Malone, who was inbounding the ball, found Hornacek, who was furthest from Lin Tian, and sent him to advance the offense.
Unless Lin Tian can create shadow clones, he will be powerless to interfere with the Jazz's advance!
Indeed, there was no way to interfere. Lin Tian couldn't possibly run all over the court and be everywhere. But when the Jazz used this method to advance and attack, it goes without saying that their offensive system almost completely collapsed.
Their attack became very heavy and slow because they needed to advance into the attacking third, find Stockton to organize the play, and then Stockton had to find a way to get rid of Lin Tian, call out tactics, and have his teammates move around.
After going through the whole process, by the time the Jazz are ready to start their offense and enter their tactical sequence, there are usually only about 10 seconds left on the shot clock.
In this limited time, if your team has players like Lin Tian, Barkley, and Miller who are very good at handling the ball and can attack when they get the ball or pass when they are double-teamed, then it's not a problem.
The problem is that, apart from Malone having the ability and Hornacek being passable, the current Jazz team has a center who can only dunk, Russell is a role player, and Stockton's offensive performance tonight was terrible; he couldn't find his rhythm at all.
It would be a miracle if they played well!
As a result, the Jazz's offense became increasingly ineffective and disastrous, and the game became more and more unsightly. On the other hand, the Pacers were united and determined, giving their all on defense and launching a barrage of attacks on offense. In the third quarter, they made the Jazz run for their lives, completely unable to find their rhythm!
66: 89!
By the end of the third quarter, the Jazz were down by as many as 23 points!
They only scored 16 points in this quarter, 8 of which came from Malone's desperate battles in the paint, where he fought hard to earn free throws and made them!
They failed to make a single three-pointer in this quarter, only managing four field goals in total!
Because Stockton was completely shut down by Lin Tian, the Jazz, lacking a second ball-handler, couldn't mount any offense tonight and were completely shut down by the Pacers' defense!
"The suspense in this series is probably very small now." Smith predicted pessimistically after the third quarter: "Tonight, the Pacers defeated the Jazz with their weakest and most criticized defense!"
"They didn't even use their best fast breaks and transition scoring techniques, and the Jazz were already defeated! After that series against the Bulls, the Pacers' growth and improvement are truly remarkable!"
"They showed they were a level above the Jazz in the first three quarters tonight. The Jazz are simply not in the same league as them!"
Marcus added, "That's true. This actually reflects many people's concerns about the Jazz before the season. They rested for too long, and their path to the finals was too easy. In the Finals, facing the Pacers, who fought the Bulls to seven games and practically crawled out of a pile of corpses, can they match that intensity?"
"At least tonight, the Jazz weren't up to par!"
(End of this chapter)